Skydiving In Ohio

Coroner, lawsuit say rigging failure had role in skydiver's death

VANDALIA, Ill. • A safety device that might have saved a 24-year-old skydiver from a fatal fall last year in Vandalia was not properly rigged, according to the coroner who investigated the incident and a lawsuit by the victim's family.

Jonathan Bullar of Maryland Heights was killed on his third jump on Oct. 9 at Archway Skydiving Center, based at Vandalia Municipal Airport, about 65 miles northeast of St. Louis. Bullar had jumped eight or nine times prior to that day.

His parents filed suit on June 2 in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis, seeking damages from Archway, its owners and other defendants, alleging negligence and a lack of reasonable care. Each of 12 counts asks for compensation of more than $75,000.

Fayette County State's Attorney Stephen Friedel has been reviewing the circumstances for several months for possible criminal wrongdoing. He told a reporter Friday that he has not decided whether to take any action.

A Federal Aviation Administration investigation of the incident remains open, an agency spokeswoman said Friday.

Darrell Bullar, also of Maryland Heights, has described his late son as a motorcycle enthusiast who had participated in motocross events before taking up sky diving.

The younger Bullar jumped from an airplane that day at 6,500 feet, officials said. His main parachute did not open properly, and it appeared to some witnesses that he was spinning uncontrollably.

A reserve parachute designed to deploy in such an emergency was not properly assembled, Fayette County Coroner Bruce Bowen told the Post-Dispatch in a recent interview.

According to his investigation and testimony of experts at a coroner's inquest on Jan. 18, he said, the reserve chute uses a device to detect barometric pressure, speed and altitude to deploy automatically if there is trouble. The one on Bullar's equipment was called CYPRES, for cybernetic parachute release system.

At a preset altitude, an explosive charge fires a guillotine to cut a cord and release the reserve chute. But the cord to Bullar's chute was not threaded through the guillotine, Bowen explained, so when it fired at 790 feet, there was no cord to cut.

"When it failed, (Bullar) was doomed," Bowen said.

The coroner said regulations require that reserve chutes be packed by a master parachute rigger, the highest of three certification levels.

Bowen said that Jason Mark, who co-owns and operates Archway with Anita Wuertz, is the only master rigger there.

Skydiving 101 at Ohio State « alwilliams7

I just finished my story on the OSU course PAES 139.14: Introduction to Skydiving.

It is the only current for-credit course offered by a non-military academy in the United States.

Since it was started in 2003, more than 2,000 students have made the jump.

I have posted the link to the multimedia presentation and have placed a copy of the story below.

If you are interested in Ohio State, skydiving or both, check it out. 

Video Link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv6yLX4q4pE

Skydiving 101 

            Jen Olson jumped out of an airplane for the first time while she was a graduate student at OSU in the summer of 2003. She said the experience was “exhilarating” and made her feel like she could take on the world.

            “You get down and it’s almost like you feel you can accomplish anything at that point,” she said.

            Since her first jump in 2003, Olson, a teacher in the department of evolution, ecology, and organismal biology at OSU, has helped teach PAES 139.14.

            The course, an introduction to skydiving, was started in 2003 by Dr. Brian Smith who was a biology professor at OSU at the time. Smith was an avid skydiver and licensed instructor, but wanted to explore the sport from a biological and psychological perspective as well.

It was his academic approach, Olson said, that ultimately led the university to approve of the course.

“It was because he had that academic component to it that they really went along with it,” she said.

The course was listed as an experimental section from its inception in 2003 until autumn quarter of 2009 when the university gave it a permanent course number after, Olson said, they were able to demonstrate a strong student interest and high quality of instruction.

It is currently offered autumn, spring, and summer quarters for one credit hour through the school of physical activity and educational services.

There is a separate cost that students have to pay outside of their tuition to enroll in the course because the university does not provide it with any funds. The cost ranges from $215 to $295 depending on the type of skydive the student chooses.

While Olson acknowledges that the price may be high, she said it covers everything the student receives.

“Their fees that they pay have to pay for their jumps, their transportation, and any other financial commitments required by the course,” she said.

The AOPA pilot, voice of general aviation

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