Close Call

[KBayDog]

NOTAMs rock!

http://www.wimp.com/closedeath/

 

[jamnww]

absolutely amazing...where is that video from? Not the US by the looks of it...

 

[fc2spyguy]

Info from dropzone.com on the incident from the skydiver involved.

So, after an uneventful 2-way head-up, we broke off at 4,500 and I started tracking about 90 degrees to flight line. Whilst checking for others I spotted the chipmunk. I was surprised and then alarmed as it started turning towards me. At that point I was certain that we would collide if I continued tracking so I immediately deployed my main.
Whilst it was snivelling, I waited for the inevitable as the chipmunk came ever closer. Thankfully, it was a relatively quick opening and it passed about 15 feet in front of me and a few feet below. I even pulled my legs up, it felt that close...

I don't know how much luckier I could have been - a second later in deciding to deploy, or a slower opening and there could easily have been two fatalities. The previous group saw the plane under canopy - fortunately from a more generous distance - where it had already banked to avoid them, turning up jump-run.

The idiot who endangered our lives just carried straight on; made no effort to land at the DZ or report it. There was no visible ident (probably under the wings), but efforts are underway to identify and ultimately prosecute him - thanks to those chasing it up.

I don't know the CAA regulations for flying over DZ's, but they are not 'restricted' areas. I hope it doesn't take many more incidents like this for such pilots to realise the danger to others and themselves. I wouldn't mind 'educating' this particular one myself...

I guess the lesson to learn or reinforce is to check the airspace around you whilst tracking - whether it is for other groups, canopies or even aircraft.

Anyway, the footage can be downloaded here. It was taken through a 0.3 wide angle lens, so it looks a little farther away than it felt Wink


Cheers!

 

[Brett327]

I love how he assumes that the pilot is both callous and incompetent. I'm betting the pilot never saw the jumpers, and who knows whether their DZ was NOTAM'd hot.

Brett

 

[Riper Snifle]

Talk about more bang for your buck .... Those jumpers went up for a thrill, but came down with a haircut!!!

 

[fc2spyguy]

I love how he assumes that the pilot is both callous and incompetent. I'm betting the pilot never saw the jumpers, and who knows whether their DZ was NOTAM'd hot.

Brett

I'm not going to quote the whole forum there. This was his initial explination of the event. Of course I'm sure I'd be quite upset had something like this happened to me. He did say that the previous jumpers from the plane were under canopy and the pilot moved to avoid them. He turned into jump-run (note: there is no way he could have known what jump-run was, unless he knew that jump-runs usually go in-line against the wind). There were several aviators on the board that explained the different aspects of this. Another note: This was in the UK, and I haven't a clue how stuff is marked on maps (or are they charts for flight?) here let alone in the UK.

Several people said that they did announce location on some net that jump run was commencing and jumpers away. Of course not everyone monitors every net, and I don't know if the particular net is required to be monitored anyways. But, I figured I'd just let you all know

 

[highlyrandom]

UK...CAA?

Eh?

 

[fc2spyguy]

UK...CAA?

Eh?

No clue what the acronym stands for. But it looks like it is from the UK based on the dropzone.com articles.

 

[Brett327]

No clue what the acronym stands for. But it looks like it is from the UK based on the dropzone.com articles.

I'm betting on Civil Aviation Authority.

www.caa.co.uk

Brett

 

[selmacf7]

Back when I was flying around here I was thinking sky diving would be fun. Big dive place in Deland called, duh, Skydive Deland. Well we were tooling around in the pattern one day with light rain and 2000' ceilings pretty much solid all over central Florida. Twin Otter was above the clouds and gave the radio call that jumpers were out. At that time we were waiting for another light single to land. Within a minute he'd landed an we were rolling. Climbing through about 500' on the upwind we noticed something moving outside the cabin. Skydiver. They were falling out of the clouds all around us (aim point was about 150' right of the taxiway, near the middle of the airport. These guys were all over the place within about 80 seconds of the call from the Otter. We didn't kill anyone, but from that day on I badmouthed SD to everyone I could and swore I'd never jump out of there.

Well, a year plus later...

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20050502X00529&key=1
http://www.local6.com/news/4410256/detail.html


and THEN...

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20051007X01595&key=1


--------------

Don't get me wrong, Skydiving is pretty damn safe given the idea behind it. But operators have to be somewhat responsible... from what I understand, the guy flying the otter that amputated the cinematographer is being prosecuted, if convicted, he'd be the first guy ever convicted of manslaughter with an aircraft. Also talk of charging him with careless/reckless operation of an aircraft. Google it. Pilot's name is Buchmann. His license was pulled shortly afterwards.

 

[VetteMuscle427]

Don't fly to DeLand then... make all our lives happier.

 

[beau]

Cbdr!!!!! Cbdr!!!!!ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

 

[Lawman]

In my short experiance flying (compaired to guys that do it for a living) Ive managed to see enough disparity between Sky Diving Proffesionalism that I just try and avoid it all together. Ive seen guys that are rigidly anal about making sure ever t is crossed before conducting a jump, and then Ive heard enough stupidity stories hanging out on the line that I just prefer to think the same thing I do about other drivers, that they are all out of there flipping minds.

But you one thing though after that close call that jumper probably needed a change of shorts.