Originally Posted by
Waterhorse
Early in my career, an instructor, a man I looked up to, fell to his death from a parachute having bailed out of an aircraft. It is believed that he had developed habit patterns that killed him. At that time they used to strap into the aircraft and separate parachute harness at the same time, and crucially also un strap at the same time. It is thought that in the panic of the bailout he, unconsciously, started to do the same, It is believed that he realised his mistake, but didn’t re-lock the Quick Release Box on the parachute (the QRB had a two step release, a turn of the box front through 90 degrees followed by a press which released the harness) The flailing of his arms in the wind stream is blamed for the press on the QRB that released the straps that caused his fall.
This sounds very familiar. Was it in the University Air Squadron in the 80s flying the Bulldog? Our procedures were updated with additional checks as a result of that (or a very similar) incident. The instructor was taxiing in with a student and had unstrapped on the way in. He then collected another student and went straight back out without strapping in again. An incident developed during the flight which required them both to bail out but the instructor was not strapped into his parachute.