Summary
At about 0930 hours EST on 15 October, 1972, a parachutist was drowned in a dam
following a static line parachute descent.
The student parachutist, was making her third jump, her first
jump on this day. She was under the supervision of the Airborne Parachuting Centre which had
conducted her training during the preceding four weeks.
Her initial training and the two previous jumps had been carried out under the
supervision by an instructor, who also conducted the pre-jump training before
this jump. The training included instruction in the techniques of aircraft exits, canopy control, landings
and emergency procedures.
When it. became apparent that the student was about to land some distance from the
Dropping Zone another parachutist proceeded to the landing area to provide assistance and found that
she had descended into a small dam of irregular shape approximately 600 square yards in area and
some 6 feet deep at the point of entry. The dam was situated some 1,330 yards west-south-west of
the Dropping Zone marker. The parachute harness was found to be still firmly attached to the
parachutist and she was tangled in the rigging lines.
