Skydiving deaths deemed accidents

Two skydiving deaths in less than two months at the Orange County Airport are unrelated accidents that involved human error, according to the United States Parachute Association.

The Fredericksburg-based USPA, along with the Virginia State Police, investigated the fatalities, which occurred Sept. 21 and Nov. 1 during jumps with skydiving club Skydive Orange.

USPA Executive Director Ed Scott said his group’s investigations found no common thread between the two and that the timing was “a mere coincidence.”

However, the state police is still investigating both cases, collecting witness statements and waiting for reports from the medical examiner and the USPA.

Upon closing the case, protocol calls for the state police to present its findings to the Orange County commonwealth’s attorney, who will determine whether criminal charges should be filed.

Nov. 1 incident

On Nov. 1, Lynchburg resident April Haag, 40, jumped for the first time with licensed parachutist Douglas Zebley, 44, of Virginia Beach. Haag was harnessed to Zebley in the tandem jump, and their chute deployed properly. Yet they experienced what state police spokesman Sgt. Les Tyler described as “a hard landing” after Zebley attempted to make a turn about 75 to 100 feet from the ground.

“It seems to just come down to an error on the part of the instructor,” Scott said.

Haag died at the University of Virginia Medical Center Nov. 2 from her injuries; Zebley survived and was released later in the week. He could not be reached for comment.

Dan Glanz, president of Skydive Orange, said Zebley’s turn caused the pair to descend at a faster rate than a straight fall. Zebley is an instructor contracted through Skydive Orange’s partner, Rainbow Parachutes.

“When a parachute turns,” Glanz said, “it’s kind of like an airplane and loses altitude at a faster rate than normal. … (Zebley and Haag) didn’t have time to come out of the turn and come to a normal, landable descent rate before they hit the ground.”
Scott said parachutists often make turns during a land to avoid obstacles or face the wind to slow the landing speed, but the USPA could not find a reason for Zebley’s low turn.

“We’re not seeing anything that was a factor in that kind of decision,” he said. “It was simply a late turn. If we can’t find a cause for that, we just have to attribute it to a poor decision on the part of the instructor. Based on witness statements, we’re finding that it’s an error in judgment or maneuvering.”

Sept. 22 incident

Francis Wootten III, 54, of Ruckersville, died Sept. 22 from injuries sustained during a group jump (of solo parachutists) with Skydive Orange and Rainbow Parachutes.

According to Sgt. Tyler, Wootten’s parachute became entangled with another skydiver’s, sending the two men freefalling. Wootten died hours later.

Glanz said Wootten was “still technically a student but was at the end of his training” to become a licensed parachutist. The other skydiver, Robert Kotenko, was a licensed parachutist. He survived the fall.

“There was not much we could do to prevent that,” Glanz said. “It was a mistake by Rob Kotenko that resulted in the accident.”

Before Wootten’s death, the last skydiving deaths in the area were in 2006, according to the USPA — one in August 2006 with Skydive Orange and one in May 2006 with Skydive Virginia in Louisa.

Investigating the deaths

Following any accidents, Glanz said, Skydive Orange conducts a “very extensive” investigation and safety review in conjunction with the USPA. Haag’s death is still under investigation, but after Wootten’s death in September, the club instituted more stringent safety guidelines.

“We’re just trying to look ahead and think of everything that could possibly happen,” Glanz said. “We’re sort of going overboard at this point. Whenever you have an injury or fatality, it really affects everyone at the drop zone emotionally.”

The USPA reviews the circumstances of each fatality to educate the rest of the skydiving community, Scott explained. That review begins with a report from the site, or the “drop zone.”

“In a sense,” Scott said, “we are the governing body (of skydiving), but we have no regulatory authority at all.”

In addition to the USPA and the VSP’s investigations, Glanz said Skydive Orange notified the Federal Aviation Administration, though he said the FAA does not have “an awful lot of skydiving expertise” and the VSP was not equipped to deal with skydiving accidents.

The FAA regulates skydiving to some degree, Scott said, but is largely limited to aircraft and pilot procedures. The FAA also requires that everyone use two parachutes, one of which is a reserve parachute packed by an FAA-certified rigger.

But opening the reserve parachute still requires altitude — something Zebley lacked at 100 feet from the ground.

The FAA has endorsed and allowed the USPA to develop its own safety regulations, which drop zones like Skydive Orange pledge to abide by. If the USPA finds a drop zone has committed any violations, it can sanction the site and/or individual instructors. The USPA does not conduct safety audits, but each year drop zones must apply to renew their affiliation.

“Even with new rules in place, we can’t prevent human mistakes,” Glanz said, “which certainly seems to be the cause with (Wootten) and (Haag). Unfortunately with both accidents, it doesn’t seem that any safety rules would have prevented them because you can’t keep people from screwing up.”

As far as finding fault with the parachutists, the USPA can require remedial training, suspend parachutists or revoke their credentials. Standard skydiving waivers release associated parties from liability, and Scott said he had never heard of a parachutist facing criminal charges following an accidental jump fatality.

Preparing to jump

Skydiving students are required to sign a “fairly extensive waiver” at Skydive Orange, Glanz said. There are different waivers for the different entities, such as the manufacturers, airplane owners and Skydive Orange. Glanz would not provide a copy of the waivers to the Culpeper Star-Exponent.

For tandem jumps, students watch a video detailing the dangers associated with skydiving. Students also attend a half-hour jump class to learn the equipment, what is expected of them, how to exit the plane and a comprehensive briefing of the tandem jump.

“(We) make sure everyone knows we’re not offering an amusement park ride,” Glanz said. “It’s a dangerous activity.”

SkydiveOrange.com advertises a first-time tandem jump for $255.

According to the club’s Web site, its members include: four former and/or present USPA safety and training advisers, one accelerated freefall course director, two tandem examiners (to rate new tandem instructors), two former drop zone operators, 18 USPA coaches, 10 AFF instructors and 15 tandem instructors.

Catherine Amos is a staff writer at Media General’s Culpeper Star Exponent.