A 21-year-old skydiver, focused on making an accurate landing, was killed after deciding to make a final turn too close to the ground, investigators have concluded.
On Friday, authorities released the findings of a safety investigation into the death of Hamilton man Theo Williams, who suffered fatal injuries after striking the ground too quickly. The skydiver died of his injuries while being taken to hospital.
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) deputy chief executive David Harrison said the accident was "most likely" caused by judgement error.
"The skydiver attempted to manoeuvre for landing with insufficient height to return to level flight before striking the ground," he said.
The accident took place close to Tauranga Airport in Mt Maunganui on March 20, 2021.
Williams had recently completed a Diploma in Commercial Skydiving and a 12-week internship with a skydive operator three days before the day of the accident.
Upon completion of this internship, the 21-year-old decided to volunteer with the commercial operator. The CAA described him as an "experienced" skydiver who had "demonstrated competence" with nearly 200 recorded jumps in his logbook.
In his recent landings prior to his last, witnesses said he had been focusing on perfecting his accuracy — which investigators said could've been a sign of "attentional tunnelling".
At around 10.30am, Williams successfully deployed his parachute 70 seconds after exiting a plane 15,188ft above the ground.
For approximately the next three minutes, ground witnesses observed the 21-year-old manoeuvring and completing turns above the parachute landing area.
However, his last turn towards the left was at a "low altitude with insufficient height available for the canopy to return to level flight."
"This resulted in the skydiver striking the ground and sustaining fatal injuries."
Investigators said that had Williams continued straight ahead, "it is likely that a safe and long landing could have been carried out.
"Likewise, after completion of that right turn, a safe crosswind landing would also have been possible."
Investigators said the skydiver "may have become fixated on the intended landing spot" as a result of "cognitive or attentional tunnelling".
"Witnesses had reported that the skydiver had been focussing on the accuracy of his landings," investigators wrote in their report.
"Employees of the skydive operation stated that, during these recent jumps, he was using the ground crew standing in the middle of the parachute landing area as his aiming point, to land as close as possible to them.
"The skydiver may have become fixated on the intended landing spot while attempting a high level of accuracy, at the cost of assessing the height required for the final manoeuvre or the wind direction"
The skydiver’s logbook had recorded 194 jumps before his last on March 20.
"Although the skydiver was jumping with a canopy smaller than the recommended guidelines, he had completed 100 jumps with it without incident," Harrison said.
"He had demonstrated competence and was familiar with its handling and performance characteristics.
"While not considered a contributory factor in this accident, premature downsizing to a smaller canopy is a recognised safety risk.
"This accident serves as a reminder to the skydiving community of the potential safety benefits of larger canopies and lower-wing loading."
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