Two police cadets die in parachute mishap in Phetchaburi

[PeteC]

This happened in your backyard on Monday. Can you imagine a boy's Father was there watching and witnessed the whole thing. A new article today that the parents suspect foul play. Pete

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nationa ... 30561.html

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nationa ... 30660.html

[Big Boy]

Yes, social media has been full of it. There have (in true Thai style) been some very distasteful photos of the men falling posted, which is why I didn't report it 2 days ago.

[PeteC]

"....The investigation concluded police officials knowingly sent the trainees up with a parachute system known to be damaged since December, resulting in the two deaths.

Pol.Gen. Jarumporn Suramanee of the Royal Thai Police said although new slings had been purchased for the plane, they had not been replaced before the jump......"

http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2014/04/29/f ... ing-deaths

[usual suspect]

This is so,so sad..
Yet hearing this story has happened here, plus was down to irresponsible members of the Royal Thai Police makes it sound acceptable..
Again how can the RTP police this country, when the cannot police themselves.. TiT.

[HHTel]

I'm certainly no expert on parachutes, but I've made several jumps in my younger days for fun. We were always fitted with a reserve shute which was designed to open automatically at a given altitude if the main chute hadn't deployed. Is that not the norm? It certainly doesn't appear so here.

[TingTongJohn]

Latest is that there was improper repair to aircraft in regards to the overhead hookup line and it failed/snapped during the jump.

[HHTel]

Yes, it seems that new slings were delivered but never installed. The point of a reserve shute is to provide an extra safeguard when other things go wrong. As far as I understand, it opens automatically at a given altitude based on the velocity the wearer is travelling at. This would have prevented two unfortunate deaths.

[PeteC]

They were jumping from only about 3,000 feet. Don't know if there would have been time for a reserve to open? Pete

[HHTel]

I started jumping at 2,000 feet and the reserve was in place and I understood it to be sufficient. It was a much smaller chute but would certainly have saved a life.

[richard]

^^ Same same

Started at 2000 feet and in those days the safety chute was on your chest and you jumped with one hand of the release handle. If after counting '123, 123, check' and the main chute was not open you pulled. Big danger with this was some careless spark may pull nervously while still in the plane and take the plane down