Path: utzoo!attcan!telly!lethe!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!hellgate.utah.edu!caen!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!rex!uflorida!eng.ufl.edu!gnarley.eng.ufl.edu!esj
From: esj@gnarley.eng.ufl.edu (Eric S. Johnson)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Mid air canopy crash
Message-ID: <1991Feb12.205904.20430@eng.ufl.edu>
Date: 12 Feb 91 20:59:04 GMT
Sender: news@eng.ufl.edu
Reply-To: esj@gnarley.eng.ufl.edu (Eric S. Johnson)
Organization: U of Florida  Engineering Computer Services.
Lines: 31

The following is paraphased from a report in the local newspaper. I 
was not in Keystone when this happened. I know of the people involved,
and have friends who jump at Keystone. I jump at Palatka, and was
probably there when this happened. (This was the first clear weekend
in 'bout a month in north central Florida, so I imagine a lot of 
folks were busy jumping)

Two jumpers in collided shortly after opening. The two women were doing a 
two-way from 9500. Immediatly after they dumped at ~2500' they collided.
The lower persons chute collapsed and entangled around the higher person.

This is the direct quote from the newspaper:
"In the few seconds after ther chutes opened at about 2500 feet, before 
the second or two it takes to gain control of the direction of glide, 
skydiver#1's parachute tangled around skydiver#2's face"

With only one good chute (and it in a spin) they fell pretty fast and crashed
onto a tin roof. Both survived. The lower person has some fairly serious
neck injuries, but is expected to recover completly. The upper person
was treated and released. 




So my question is: (and this is only on the hypothetical level, I don't 
question the judgement of anyone who lives thru situtations like these ;-)

Why didn't the lower person cut away. From the article it seems they 
had the altitude?

Ej