swarley 0 #1 January 15, 2003 Three in one day? Steve 16.01.2003 By JO-MARIE BROWN and NATASHA HARRIS Three men remain in hospital today with serious injuries after separate skydiving accidents. Two men jumping at Skydive Parakai, northwest of Auckland, hit the ground at 50km/h in different jumps yesterday - one at 11am and the other at 2pm - and a Welsh tourist in Taupo hurt himself about 2.30pm. Both men injured at Parakai are experienced skydivers aged in their 30s. They have clocked up hundreds of jumps and were using new parachutes yesterday. One man was taken to Auckland Hospital after suffering a broken leg and neck injury. The other remains in Middlemore Hospital with spinal injuries. The 25-year-old tourist injured at Taupo Airport was airlifted to Waikato Hospital with serious leg and arm injuries. Police said he was understood to be qualified to do solo skydives. Acting Sergeant Kevan Verry said the tourist was in a stable condition last night. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3051596&thesection=news&thesubsection=general Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #2 January 15, 2003 When hook turns go wrong...Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BoobieCootie 0 #3 January 15, 2003 It could be winds, turbulence ++ too you know.Speedy recovery to them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
swarley 0 #4 January 15, 2003 Quotewere using new parachutes Probably part of the reason. Maybe they down-sized AND wind? My Site Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
homer 0 #5 January 15, 2003 I think the ST&A needs to have a little safety briefing before the next load goes up. CSA #699 Muff #3804 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hookitt 1 #6 January 15, 2003 Quote It could be winds, turbulence ++ too you know.reply] Nah it's always hook turns... Always. Disclaimer: Just kidding My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeatlast 0 #7 January 16, 2003 The 25 year old tourist was an AFF student just graduating ... I didn't see the landing but it sounds like a bad landing ... He was having an operation last night ... I'm waiting to hear about his recovery ... Let's hope he recovers and carries on jumping ... I know he has been so excited about doing his AFF and qualifying ... BUT HE DEFINATELY WASN'T DOING A HOOKTURN ... BSBD ... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
swarley 0 #8 January 16, 2003 More Info on the accidents (Typical News Reporting) Spate of skydiving accidents 'freak occurrence' 16 January 2003 Human error appeared to be the only common factor in three separate skydiving accidents within a few hours yesterday, the Parachute Industry Association says. Two men jumping at Skydive Parakai, northwest of Auckland, hit the ground at 50kph in different jumps – one at 11am and the other at 2pm – and a Welsh tourist in Taupo was hurt in an incident about 2.30pm. Association safety director Andy Pine said three serious accidents on one day was a "freak occurrence". "We've just had our 12-month quota of serious accidents in one day – hopefully that's it for 2003." "Without being too frivolous, the only common factor in all three accidents, apart from pilot error, was that the ground was hard," Mr Pine said. The first skydiver injured at Parakai airfield was considered "quite experienced", with about 1000 jumps under his belt, he said. "He was doing a stunt and he blew it basically – he was operating at the extreme end of the sport so it's not something the average skydiver would be attempting." The man suffered neck and leg injuries. "He was a couple of degrees away from killing himself – but he was also a couple of degrees away from pulling it off." Ed: "Quote of the day" The second Parakai parachutist, believed to be British, was still considered a novice, with about 170 jumps behind him. Mr Pine said the man had apparently missed his landing spot, landed heavily while attempting to correct himself and broke his leg. The Welsh tourist injured in Taupo was a student with 25 jumps experience, who "got a bit freaked" when he hit some turbulence, he said. "The fact is, that if you go skiing enough, you will probably get injured. "When you've got people throwing themselves out of aeroplanes, you're going to get some broken ankles. "It is freakish to have three serious injuries on one day, but you're still more likely to be injured mountain biking." Article Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
indyz 1 #9 January 17, 2003 Quote"He was a couple of degrees away from killing himself – but he was also a couple of degrees away from pulling it off." Ed: "Quote of the day" I think this story is really very fair to skydivers and is hardly the type of "Typical News Reporting" seen in many articles about skydiving incidents. There was zero speculation on behalf of the reporter; in fact, all of the information came from PIA and most of it was direct quotes. I certainly don't fault the paper for printing the "quote of the day," but I do think that Mr. Pine could have phrased it much better. I might at that it is also quite refreshing hear a skydiver with 170 jumps referred to as a "novice" by the media. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
