18/03/2004
Equipment failure blamed for parachute fatality
Minister for Europe Denis McShane and newsreader Carol Barnes have today laid flowers at the spot in Melbourne where their daughter was killed in a skydiving accident on Sunday.
An initial investigation by the Australian Parachute Federation (APF) has indicated that the fatal accident was the result of non-standard equipment and a failure to pack the main chute's pilot drogue properly.
Clare Barnes, 24, was killed when her 200th parachute jump went seriously wrong. It is thought that Miss Barnes, who was an experienced parachutist and a licensed parachute packer, would have packed and checked her own equipment prior to the jump.
The initial report from the APF indicates that the main chute's failure to open was compounded by a problem with the emergency release system used to free a malfunctioning parachute. This resulted in the reserve chute becoming entangled in the lines of the main chute, preventing it from deploying properly.
It was reported that the same chute had malfunctioned previously.
A full report will be prepared for the coroners' inquest.
(SP)
An initial investigation by the Australian Parachute Federation (APF) has indicated that the fatal accident was the result of non-standard equipment and a failure to pack the main chute's pilot drogue properly.
Clare Barnes, 24, was killed when her 200th parachute jump went seriously wrong. It is thought that Miss Barnes, who was an experienced parachutist and a licensed parachute packer, would have packed and checked her own equipment prior to the jump.
The initial report from the APF indicates that the main chute's failure to open was compounded by a problem with the emergency release system used to free a malfunctioning parachute. This resulted in the reserve chute becoming entangled in the lines of the main chute, preventing it from deploying properly.
It was reported that the same chute had malfunctioned previously.
A full report will be prepared for the coroners' inquest.
(SP)
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