Sky diver slips from harness during jump?
A first-time skydiver slipped from her harness during a jump Saturday and fell to her death, authorities said.
Ellen Ann McWilliams, 44, of West Chester, Pennsylvania, was participating in a tandem jump, her first with the AerOhio Skydiving school near Sterling.
During tandem jumps, a novice skydiver is harnessed to the chest of an experienced jumper. When the parachute is deployed, the experienced skydiver guides the team to the ground. (Watch witnesses describe the scene- video)
A preliminary investigation by the sheriff's office indicated the woman slipped from the harness after the parachute opened. It is not known how far the woman fell, and the sheriff's office did not release any further details. Article here.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006 | Permalink
1 Comments
1 Comments:
Ellen was a former co-worker and a very dear friend of my family.
Words cannot describe how much she will be missed.
The manufacturer's incident report, after viewing the video, states Ellen was NOT properly harnessed into the skydiving rig. One of the back straps was pressed betweeen her abdoment and leg.
As a result, when the rip-cord was pulled, the shock of the parachute being opened caused Ellen to be ripped backwards out of the harness rig, continuing to free-fall to the ground and ultimately to her death.
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