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From: jnrees@athena.mit.edu (Jim Rees)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Re: Fatality In Colorado
Message-ID: <1991Mar21.191611.181@athena.mit.edu>
Date: 21 Mar 91 19:16:11 GMT
References: <2020013@hpfelg.HP.COM>
Sender: news@athena.mit.edu (News system)
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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In article <2020013@hpfelg.HP.COM> larry@hpfelg.HP.COM (Larry Chapman X3117) writes:
>
>What could have saved this student?
>
>  1) A jumpmaster that didn't let him "get away".
>  2) An AAD that worked (they, like altimeters don't work well in a burble like
>     encountered when you are upside down).
>  3) Pulling the main rip cord (a Stevens line was in place).
>  4) Pulling the reserve rip cord.
>

There really isn't enough information about this fatality in your
posting.  I, for one, would like to know more about this student's
previous training and jumps.  For instance, did this student have a
habit of not looking at his ripcord when he reached for it?  How would
he practice this?  How was his FJC ground training?  Could it be that
his instructors and JM's became a little complacent with this
student's emergency training after he successfully completed levels
I,II, and III?

Technically, an AFF JM is always to be in full control of his/her AFF
student during ground training, ride to altitude, the skydive, all the
way to signing the log book.  More specifically, it is the JM's
responsibility to pull the student's ripcord (at or above a reasonable
altitude) if the student does not.  AFF JM's are rated in part by
their ability to satisfy this requirement.  Without knowing more
details of the incident, however, I would not necessarily say that it
was possible for the JM to save this student.

All in all, a lot of different things could have saved this student.
In my opinion, however, good ground instruction is the most important
part of student safety.

				Jim Rees
				D-13359
				SL/AFF JM '91