Accident to the Cessna 208 registered F-HVPC on 01/08/2024 at Vannes

During the climb, after the door had been partially opened, the skydiver instructor started checking the equipment of the two students who were to be dropped when passing 1,200 m for the first time. The skydiver sat in the middle, on the right-hand side of the first student, moved to the right-hand side and was then touching the skydiver sat next to the partially-open door. The latter, although he had not moved to one side, had moved his chest by bending sideways and turning.

During these chest movements, as the parachute harness is a close fit, the parachute had followed these actions. The leather ball of the pilot chute of the skydiver sat next to the door was probably squashed between the floor of the aeroplane and the parachute. This rubbing against the aeroplane floor probably led to the pilot chute partially coming out of its housing. The airflow then caused it to completely come out of its housing and dragged it to the outside of the aeroplane, thus activating the deployment sequence of the main canopy.

As the skydiver was pulled to the rear, the right-hand riser caught on and deformed the skin of the aeroplane. On snagging, the system connecting the riser to the parachute was severed while the skydiver was pulled outside the aeroplane through the door. The separation of the riser caused the deployment of the reserve canopy which came into contact with the aeroplane’s left-hand horizontal stabilizer.

The ejected skydiver was, nevertheless, able to control his reserve canopy and land. The aeroplane pilot who have not perceived the situation but had observed an anomaly in the aeroplane’s behaviour, decided to return to and land on the aerodrome.