All parachute users, especially rescue parachutes
Date of submission of the good practice:
2018-12-05
Content of the recommended good practice
Checking if the handles opening the rescue parachutes are secured against falling out of the pocket in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
Modifications not authorized by the manufacturer are not allowed. This can cause difficulties or even prevent the parachute from opening in an emergency.
Flight organizers and instructors should alert pilots who notice such unlawful practices to the risks associated with this.
The occurrence of such a modification should be reported as part of the aviation reporting system.
The use of an independent fastening system / rescue parachute from the fastening of the wing (main canopy) due to the independence of fastening in the event of cracks in the mounting brackets, carabiners or connectors.
Description of the aviation occurrence
The glider pilot after the collision in the air did not open the rescue parachute. The pilot died after hitting a parked car, although the parachute was “airworthy”. Most likely the pilot's parachute handle was secured against falling out of the pocket with a ty-rap self-locking band. This prevented the pilot from opening the rescue parachute.
Final report of the State Commission on Aircraft Accidents Investigation:
https://pkbwl.gov.pl/raporty/2014-0735/
All the users of hang gliders, paragliders, parachutes, especially rescue parachutes
Date of submission of the good practice:
2019-10-27
Content of the recommended good practice
The use of an independent fastening system / rescue parachute from the fastening of the wing (main canopy) due to the independence of fastening in the event of cracks in the mounting brackets, carabiners or connectors.
Description of the aviation occurrence
The final report of the State Commission on Aircraft Accidents Investigation shows that the rescue parachute was mounted to the straps of the trolley. A paraglider wing was also attached to the trolley.
Tearing the carabiner connecting the paraglider wing straps and the rescue system attached to the same carabiner resulted in the inability to use the rescue system. This led to an accident. The trolley had additional hooks that were not used during this flight.
In addition, it should be noted that: - the paraglider did not have the required airworthiness documents, - the truck was not built in accordance with applicable regulations (without certification of compliance with technical requirements and without CAA supervision). In addition, it has been modified to incorporate a different engine than was anticipated by the truck manufacturer. - the installed rescue parachute was not suitable for the paraglider's mass and the user did not have the required technical documentation, including the instructions for use and operation. The test process did not specify how to attach the rescue parachute to the stroller according to the manufacturer's requirements, precisely because of the lack of documentation that would specify the rules for installing the rescue parachute.
Final report of the State Commission on Aircraft Accidents Investigation: