ASF Report: When Airplanes and Skydivers Collide

[tombuch 0]

AOPA offered a mention of a recent Air Safety Foundation (ASF) report with a newsbrief this morning in their e-news pilot newsletter. The brief ASF report entitled When Airplanes and Skydivers Collide is available at http://www.aopa.org/asf/epilot_acc/mia05la096.html?WT.mc_id=090306epilot&WT.mc_sect=sap

Unfortunately the report misses the mark, and fails to mention the lack of drop zone depiction in digital flight planners and on GPS screens. This is an issue that I have been addressing with USPA for more than five years. Sadly, it has been bogged down in administrative inaction at the federal level. USPA is doing all they can on our behalf and there is some hope that a marginal solution will emerge this year, but full implementation is still many years away. In the meantime, jumpers should exercise extreme caution while spotting, and should be hyper-alert to transient aircraft.

I have responded to the ASF and AOPA about the problem, and have listed my response below. For more information about the issue, see a couple of resources listed here:

When I was S&TA I wrote two articles of special interest that appear on The Ranch web site as “Article 1-Checking for Traffic” and “Article 8-Airspace” both are available at http://theblueskyranch.com/STA.php

I have provided a few updates to the status of depiction here on Dropzone.com. You can find a discussion thread from 2005 at http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1882590;#1882590

Email from Tom Buchanan to ASF and AOPA
Thanks for releasing the ASF Accident Analysis entitled “Terminal Velocity: When Airplanes and Skydivers Collide,” mentioned in the AOPA e-news letter this morning.

You are correct that encounters between airplanes and jumpers are rare, but they are increasing. Unfortunately pilots have very few tools that will help them identify active drop zones. The NOTAM process works well for occasional drop zones as long as pilots check for NOTAM’s, but a NOTAM is not distributed in a standard weather briefing if the drop zone location has already been published. While longstanding drop zones are depicted on sections and in the AFD, very few pilots use these resources for routine flights.

Many pilots have migrated to digital flight planning software and now use GPS units to navigate while in flight. Drop zones are not depicted by any of these digital products (including the AOPA on-line flight planner). Nor are drop zones depicted on enroute charts, and they are rarely mentioned on approach plates. Pilots flying without the active assistance of air traffic control may not even know they are near an active drop zone, and ATC doesn’t always provide timely advisories.

ASF and AOPA would do well to work aggressively with the FAA and manufacturers of digital products to include drop zones in digital databases, and to provide depiction of drop zones on all digital displays and flight planners. The lack of depiction has been known to the FAA, ATC, AOPA, ASF, USPA, manufacturers of digital products, and numerous other entities since at least 2003, and corrective action has been bogged down. Near-collisions have been increasing at an alarming rate as more pilots migrate to digital products, and this issue needs to be appropriately addressed as a priority. Inaction or failed action on this safety-of-flight matter is simply no longer an option.

I hope ASF and AOPA will take a leading role in correcting the lack of drop zone depiction in digital products.

Tom Buchanan
Instructor Emeritus
Comm Pilot MSEL,G
Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

[regulator 0]

I know I dont know squat compared to you but I like to read alot and this reminds me of the tragedy that happened to Gus Wing. Could this incident be similar to that report as well?

[PhreeZone 15]

Guy Wing is one of the incidents they refer in that report.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[Para5-0 0]

It is not a matter of if, it a matter of when the next mid air will happen. In Long Island, it has become second nature to BOLO (Be On Look Out) for aircraft at and below. Each season it is without failure that small aircraft as well as large migrate across the dropping location. Although I have personally deployed above traffic, and also aborted exits due to traffic none were as close as the following incident that occurred mid season 08 in Long Island. While on a tandem in freefall, I did a 360 turn. I noticed a dual prop, I beleive a King Air literally same altitude within 500 feet, it scarred the hell out of me to the point I waved off and deployed. The aircraft actually vered hard left and continued. It was the closest I have ever personally come to aircraft while in freefall. I did not notice the traffic prior to exit. After landing the pilot advised he was notified about the traffic after we exited the plane.

[wayneflorida 0]

This weekend I had just landed and rest of the fun jumpers were in low pattern when I heard a navy trainer close by. I looked to the North and here he comes just off the northside of the airport. Then I looked to the south and saw three tandems approaching downwind leg. The tanems were about 2000 feet and I guess the trainer was 1500. I looked north again and trainer was in a step left turn.

One thing I try to do is look out a window (on the opposite side from the door) for traffic on jump run.

[riggerrob 558]

One thing I try to do is look out a window (on the opposite side from the door) for traffic on jump run.

[Sletzer 3]

Thanks for taking up the fight, Tom.

I will be kissing hands and shaking babies all afternoon. Thanks for all your support! *bows*

SCS #8251

[robskydiv 0]

Hey Tom, thankyou for your work. Hopefully your recommendations will be heeded to. Harry