Friday Freakout: High-Speed Collision, Skydiver Knocked Unconscious For 15 Seconds!

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WHAT HAPPENED
These 2 wingsuiters had a high-speed collision while setting up a 7-way XRW jump, which resulted in one of the skydivers getting knocked unconscious for 15 seconds and suffering a “minor” brain bleed. Wild!
The full story is a bit complicated, so allow us to introduce the cast of characters.
This was a 7-way XRW group.
- Jumper 1 was an experienced canopy pilot
- Jumpers 2,3, and 4 were ]experienced wingsuit pilots familiar with XRW
-- Jumpers 1-4 are what we are going to call the "XRW Group"
- Jumper 5 (who gets knocked out) was newer to XRW, and going to shadow the "XRW Group"
- Jumper 6 (who hits jumper 5) wanted to take a dock
- Jumper 7 was a newbie who was going to just chill
On the ground, Jumper 5 explained that he was going to shadow the jump above and to the right of the formation. However, just prior to him explaining this, Jumper 6 walked away. Everyone other than Jumper 6 heard Jumper 5 explain his plan.
Exit order was to be 1-2-3-4-5-6-7, but as they were boarding the plain, jumpers 5 and 6 switched spots because 5 was worried due his flying faster and not wanting to overshoot if he left second to last. Upon exit, J5 was flying in his assigned slot up and to the right of the XRW group, but as he picked up speed he pushed out his chest and picked his head up to bleed off forward speed, and then also brought his knees up to break. Doing so caused him to pop up. Unfortunately, J6 was above him in a fast-fall-rate, slow-forward-speed configuration. They collided at about 9,500 feet AGL.
J5 lost consciousness for 15 seconds, regained it at 6k, and deployed at 3.5k. He landed safely but had a minor brain bleed and a sprained elbow. J6 had a bicep bleed. Both were jumping 4 weeks later.
WHY DID IT HAPPEN
Miscommunication and Bad Positioning
J5 noted that “the accident was caused by a mixture of miscommunication and bad flying, a series of small mistakes with large consequences. If any of the mistakes had been avoided, this would likely have been avoided.” First, the fact that J6 walked away during the briefing resulted in their not knowing where everyone was going to be. That, in turn, resulted in them flying above J5, who didn’t realize that someone was right above them when they braked and popped up.
HOW COULD IT BE PREVENTED
Communication and Good Positioning (Duh!)
This should go for every jump, but if you’re planning a large and complex group jump with something as complicated as XRW then it should really be underscored: Everyone needs to know what’s up. Everyone should be at the mockup, everyone needs to be at the briefing, and everyone needs to know exactly what everyone else is planning to do on the jump. The point that directly correlates with this is that no one should be flying directly above someone because - as we see here - if the lower jumper pops up or corks, you're going to slam right into them. This isn’t a wingsuit issue either; this goes for every jump, not only for the issues pointed out here, but also because if someone has a premature deployment, you don’t want to be eating their nylon at 120 MPH.
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[@TEEMsky]

*WHAT HAPPENED* These 2 wingsuiters had a high-speed collision while setting up a 7-way XRW jump, which resulted in one of the skydivers getting knocked unconscious for 15 seconds and suffering a “minor” brain bleed. Wild! The full story is a bit complicated, so allow us to introduce the cast of characters. This was a 7-way XRW group. Jumper 1 was an experienced canopy pilot Jumpers 2,3, and 4 were ]experienced wingsuit pilots familiar with XRW Jumpers 1-4 are what we are going to call the "XRW Group" Jumper 5 (who gets knocked out) was newer to XRW, and going to shadow the "XRW Group" Jumper 6 (who hits jumper 5) wanted to take a dock Jumper 7 was a newbie who was going to just chill On the ground, Jumper 5 explained that he was going to shadow the jump above and to the right of the formation. However, just prior to him explaining this, Jumper 6 walked away. Everyone other than Jumper 6 heard Jumper 5 explain his plan. Exit order was to be 1-2-3-4-5-6-7, but as they were boarding the plain, jumpers 5 and 6 switched spots because 5 was worried due his flying faster and not wanting to overshoot if he left second to last. Upon exit, J5 was flying in his assigned slot up and to the right of the XRW group, but as he picked up speed he pushed out his chest and picked his head up to bleed off forward speed, and then also brought his knees up to break. Doing so caused him to pop up. Unfortunately, J6 was above him in a fast-fall-rate, slow-forward-speed configuration. They collided at about 9,500 feet AGL. J5 lost consciousness for 15 seconds, regained it at 6k, and deployed at 3.5k. He landed safely but had a minor brain bleed and a sprained elbow. J6 had a bicep bleed. Both were jumping 4 weeks later. *WHY DID IT HAPPEN* Miscommunication and Bad Positioning J5 noted that “the accident was caused by a mixture of miscommunication and bad flying, a series of small mistakes with large consequences. If any of the mistakes had been avoided, this would likely have been avoided.” First, the fact that J6 walked away during the briefing resulted in their not knowing where everyone was going to be. That, in turn, resulted in them flying above J5, who didn’t realize that someone was right above them when they braked and popped up. *HOW COULD IT BE PREVENTED* Communication and Good Positioning (Duh!) This should go for every jump, but if you’re planning a large and complex group jump with something as complicated as XRW then it should really be underscored: Everyone needs to know what’s up. Everyone should be at the mockup, everyone needs to be at the briefing, and everyone needs to know exactly what everyone else is planning to do on the jump. The point that directly correlates with this is that no one should be flying directly above someone because - as we see here - if the lower jumper pops up or corks, you're going to slam right into them. This isn’t a wingsuit issue either; this goes for every jump, not only for the issues pointed out here, but also because if someone has a premature deployment, you don’t want to be eating their nylon at 120 MPH.

[@Christophe_L]

Amazing he kept on smiling through the whole ordeal. What a positive guy!

[@DavidFerree54]

😂😂😂😂

[@anthonydarby4674]

Impact -1hp Sticker placement +1hp

[@captainwoody4007]

He can fly that suit better than some people who are conscious

[@markp3309]

I personally know jumper #5 and I'm glad this jump didn't end in a fatality... Agreed proper communication is paramount!

[@billylong4245]

Every time someone ask why exactly do you wear a helmet.

[@matthewdixon8465]

helmet wont save you from the meat missle

[@patrickmichel782]

Pour tenir la Gopro !

[@laurynasgiriunas4780]

Aren't most of them not made for crashes? Like the most popular one Cookie G3 definitely is not

[@Rustie_za]

@@matthewdixon8465 this one did

[@sergeig685]

@@laurynasgiriunas4780 have you ever been punched in the nose? And regardless whether a helmet is crash rated or not, it is still far better to have one when getting hit in the head.

[@stanmancam]

Wow serious concussion and still operating slow for minutes afterwards. He has lots to be thankful for. Thats mercy right there.

[@JustSomeJoe-dp5rp]

Seriously, his slow movements after opening were really scary. As someone who's lost consciousness a few times, it terrifies me to think of it happening on a jump. You're just so slow and confused coming back around.

[@mikeh-p7q]

Plan the Jump ..... Jump the Plan.

[@yanceyanderson2200]

Wait.....Jumper5. Its the british kid. Well thats the first time i ever see him transition and back fly! Glad everybody is safe

[@UltimateLogbookApp]

Ouch! He's lucky to be alive! The sticker is bomb though!!!!

[@dominicmevissen4257]

Still smiling!

[@thermalhopper]

Oh no! George! Glad you were okay!

[@mikeferguson4816]

omfg, nightmare...but that's why I have the wingsuit specific AAD...

[@heeder777]

Used to be this only happened when people jaywalked. All that sky and I’m always amazed how many collisions occur.

[@skyscribe]

That was nasty. Glad they're okay!

[@tonyjohnson7290]

Wings units leave burbles too!

[@philipsturtivant9385]

I'd be more clear about the actual exit sequence if the author had used the letters A to G. As it is, the text reads as if #6 exited before #5, but somehow #5 wound up below and ahead of #6, which perplexes me a little (maybe 'cause I just don't understand wingsuit characteristics 😕 )

[@valderja]

What's with the daft camera angle and the mug on the helmet?

[@thomasm5714]

Collision? Looks more like a precisely-targetted strike.

[@jonathanramsay530]

Was that a G4?

[@Aidxn.Racing30]

What is that back bling lmao

[@Aidxn.Racing30]

Helmet*

[@Rustie_za]

After reading the synosis, this is a jumpmaster issue. He should have kept the group together during brief, why allow 1 to walk away? Then why the allowance for switch-up between j5 and j6? Again jumpmaster error for allowing it. Plan the jump then jump the plan.

[@RyanAviation1761]

No. This is on J5 for the radical flare in the middle of the group. This is constantly briefed during wingsuiting. XRW is a relatively advanced discipline and there's an expectation that basic principles be adhered to. One of which is to clear your airspace before you fly into it. Since you can never know what's directly above and behind your head, you're supposed to completely slide outside and away from the formation before increasing your level. And it should never be done this drastically mid-jump ... for obvious reasons.

[@DuncanJimmy]

What I find most disturbing about this video is how completely oblivious J6 is to J5 the whole time he's flying right into the back of him.

[@RyanAviation1761]

Look at it from the camera #2 perspective. The issue here is J5's radical flare in the middle of a group. Camera #2 shows that fast relative motion. J6 likely had his eyes locked on the canopy pilot.

[@DavidFerree54]

So what happened to the idiot who hit him?

[@natural9743]

Was that the guys face imprint he collided with on his helmet???

[@roderickzakarija9827]

Was this in Picton on Good friday?

[@MisterIvyMike]

The fact that he is smiling all the time sayed me: he was fine. The fact that he acted after opening like "Sleepy Joe" sayed me: he was not! Accidents like that shows me that I will never jump without helmet and more important without a AAD! Never ever!

[@utahballoonflights2716]

Uhhhh why do you wear a helmet bruh, there’s nothing up there to ……. 🤦

[@kristen4954]

'PromoSM' 😇