Woman killed in skydiving accident at parachute center in San Joaquin County [CA]

ktla ^

[BenLurkin]

“What was reported to us from someone who witnessed the (incident)… was that the chute failed to fully open as she was coming down and it was heavily tangled around her,” the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said.

They said the woman was “very experienced.”

The FAA said they are investigating the incident, but focusing on the parachute rigging.

[Magnum44]

BPS in summer of 81. HALO in 83.

[Night Hides Not]

I must admit my five jumps weren't all that exciting: we jumped at 1200 feet, chute opened at about 800 feet, spent all my time looking around to make sure none of my 40+ co-jumpers weren't coming down on my parachute.

Haven't jumped since then, and rarely entertained the thought before regaining my senses...lol.

Kudos to you.

[Seruzawa]

Not yet. The humor is too high brow for the average wokester.

[Captain Rhino]

There is a funny brief exchange in the movie “Bridge Over the River Kwai” about the dangers of parachuting.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cvSc3bjXcD0

Bottom Line: Do a dangerous act often enough, eventually your luck will run out/number comes up/etc.

Of course, you have to wonder about last thoughts. I assume, in a case like this, a lot of that time was spent trying to figure out how to untangle the chute so it would fully deploy. That is, maybe her thoughts were fully absorbed, perhaps until almost the last moment, with the struggle to reverse oncoming disaster.

But, in other cases, there’s considerable time between that moment of irreversibility and death: like the business man in his sports jacket who was photographed jumping to his death from his burning Trade Center tower on 9/11; or the “protection-free” climbers who fall while climbing sheer rock faces like El Capitan in Yosemite or other famous sites worldwide. It takes some time to fall from that far up...

Yeah, I agree. It’s indecent, morbid, perhaps even purient, to ask what their final thoughts were. Still...

[Vaduz]

At my age I’ve noticed that on a lot of people.

[HartleyMBaldwin]

Gravity has been increasing for at least 40 years now. I have noticed that:
I can’t jump as high as I could then;
I can’t pick up things I could then;
When I fall down, I hit harder and it hurts more;
When I get on the scale, it reads considerably higher than it did back then. (This last item is scientific, measurable proof.)

[gloryblaze]

Just: good one!

[MikeSteelBe]

Talk about splat. His head was flat because his brains had squirted out the top, and every large bone in his body was sticking out through the skin.

He did not have the guts to do that again!

[shotgun]

he would have been too wobbly legged to stand at the door

[SamAdams76]

One thing I remember about that parachute training is that all Marines were required to pack their own chute before jumping. Even if you were a high-ranking officer, you packed your own chute.

I guess that makes sense but on that first jump, you better hope you did it right!

[353FMG]

Like lifeboats on the Titanic.

[SgtHooper]

OMG! (lol)

[SgtHooper]

BUSTED! You must be seasoned enough to know about the T-10! :-)

[colorado tanker]

I did it in Airborne School, but the training was thorough, chutes were packed by supervised professionals and safety was emphasized.

I've had no desire in civilian life to go to one of these hobbyist operations and jump.

[Arlis]

Actually a painless way to die. You are dead before the pain can reach your brain.

But the fear factor must be infinite. Watching death come at you at 100+ mph.......

Unless you are a strong Christian. Then you’d think, “LORD JESUS, I’M GOING TO SEE YOU IN 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, NOW!”

[al baby]

I know I stole it funny none the same

[Vaduz]

Welcome to the club remember the golden years aren’t gold it’s rust.
What doesn’t dry up it leaks.

[steve86]

“And opening the door on say a Cessna 152 or a Beech Craft Bonanza may not affect the aerodynamics, but the door opens out so the wind rushing past the nose of the plane washes past the door preventing it from opening more than a couple of inches at best.”

I could “steer” i.e. yaw my PA-22/108 by opening the passenger door in flight. Only a little resistance, really, at least for the first 12 inches or so.

[whitney69]

“Only a little resistance, really, at least for the first 12 inches or so.

If it’s one of the older Colts, with a cruise speed of under 100 knots, cracking the door could cause a stall if you aren’t watching out for it even with a stall speed at 47 knots. My father learned to fly on one of those. As a two seater it is a good small aircraft to work with an instructor. But Piper never built them for speed. At least not with a 108 horsepower motor. But they are economical. I’ve seen grand transpo with bigger gas tanks. Tri or tail dragger?

wy69

[steve86]

Nose gear. Opening door doesn’t affect airflow over wings. More like a speed brake on one side. Stalling in the Colt was basically a mushing thing anyway. I did learn spin recovery in Aeronca.