DOCSLIB.ORG

First North Dakota Woman Parachutist

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
First North Dakota Woman Parachutist 2017 | Veterans 1 A SALUTE TO OUR VETERANS SECOND SECTION First North Dakota woman parachutist Barbara Richau, Golden Valley By KATE JOHNSON Barbara and her other squad mates – as they dangled from their para- A roof over her head, food in her chutes, Barbara said they would tummy, and clothes on her back. visit and laugh as they waited for These are reasons Barbara Richau, their open chute to be released. Golden Valley, said joining up with Barbara had never stepped on a the United States military wasn’t plane before, let alone dangle 250 such a bad deal. feet from the ground. However, she After Barbara graduated high said she wasn’t scared and never let school she was unsure of what she any fear have control. wanted to do next. All she knew for “The fear was always there -- certain was that she didn’t want to you gave it a lot of respect, but it be in school anymore. never came to the forefront,” said She thought the next best option Barbara. was to sign up for the military. Out Once they were released, their of the options they had at the time, offi cer would be instructing them Barbara knew she wanted to be from the ground on what to do. able to pick the job she was going The third phase of training was to do – which wasn’t something jumping out of an airplane to fully BARBARA RICHAU every sign-up sheet off ered. Having become “airborne.” Anyone who Barbara Richau, Golden Valley, never even fl own in a plane before was not airborne was referred to as served as a parachute rigger Barbara signed her name under a “leg,” which Barbara said no one from 1974-1976. “parachute rigger.” wanted to be a “grimy leg.” In 1974 she entered into para- On her and her squad’s fi rst trip After completing jump school, chute rigger training. up, their officers told them they she was then sent to rigger school “I had never fl own in a plane would fall asleep. She said they -- which was learning how to re- until I went to basic training. Now didn’t believe them and thought pair, inspect, and patch parachutes. I’m going to jump out of them,” she there wasn’t a chance they would These weren’t just parachutes sol- said with a laugh at the memory. fall unconscious while anticipating diers wore, these were parachutes After already going through the jump out of an airplane. But sure used to drop rations, jeeps, and physical training she entered into enough, they did, due to exhaustion any other items they needed in jump school training, for which she from what they had gone through in areas where ground access wasn’t was sent to Fort Benning, Ga. training up until that point. an option. “It was dark when I fi rst arrived Once they reached the desired Barbara said some of the para- at Fort Benning. There were fl ash- altitude, the officer asked for a chutes weighed up to 400 pounds. ing red lights coming from the 250 volunteer. Barbara said she realized On parachutes that large there parachute tower and I thought to quickly that you don’t volunteer would have to be a squad of riggers myself, ‘What the hell did I get for anything; however, she said the used to inspect them. Barbara’s myself into?’” Barbara said with words “I’ll go,” and stepped toward main job was initial inspection and a laugh. the door. fi nal inspection. She inspected the Barbara Richau was the fi rst North Dakota woman to jump out of The tower with fl ashing red lights With adrenaline coursing through parachutes for any holes or tears, an airplane and become “airborne.” She said these were posed was what hoisted Barbara and the her veins, the door opened. And just which, if she did find anything pictures which they could make whatever face they wanted to. other parachute riggers in training as she was about to let herself fall wrong with the chute, it would be up in their open parachutes. Once out of her very fi rst plane her offi cer sent off for repair. Once the chute Barbara spent 17 months at Fort After two years as a parachute they reached the top they would be stopped her. She was unsure why, went through repair, she would Bragg, N.C., a place that would be rigger, Barbara was ready for some- released and learned how to control but this meant she had to psych inspect it again before it went out the home to many cherished memo- thing diff erent. She headed back the parachute to get to the bottom. herself up again for the next time. the door. ries and friends who left lasting to North Dakota, which took three However, that isn’t what they Barbara was the fi rst North Da- Barbara had a large lighted table impressions. days because of a blizzard. She started their training with. Every- kota military woman to jump out of she rolled the parachutes out onto, One her ninth jump, Barbara enrolled in university using the GI where they went at jump school a plane and be a parachutist. hooking the top corner to one side severely sprained her ankle. Bill and gained her Class A driver’s they ran. The first part of jump Barbara said she will never forget and stretching it out to hook the bot- “I didn’t know you could see license, then worked for Dakota school was learning how to exit that feeling of exiting a plane, and tom end to the other. The parachutes stars in broad daylight,” she said. Westmoreland until she retired. the planes properly. There was a how the best jumps were the ones were made out of nylon, which she They had been taught that when Barbara still refers to those days 34 ft. mock-up tower that they were she would walk right off the back said if they rubbed together at all they get close the ground they tuck as some of the best of her life. hooked to by a harness, with which end of the plane. they would burn. their elbows and fall onto the soft “I was 18 years old. I was being they would exit the mock up. However, there were times where To pack them they would fold part of your body, which is your taken care of, I had food, I had The second week was tower she would have to exit the plane the sections together and make sure side. It was this jump that brought clothes, I had a roof, steady work – week, when they were hoisted up through the door on the side of the there was air in there so that when it Barbara’s fear to the forefront, it was pretty good,” she said. 250 ft. with an open parachute. aircraft, which she said felt like it was released from the bag it came which shook her enough to fear If given the chance, she said she Three of them could hang at the was sucking you out. out smoothly. the jumps. would do it all again in a heartbeat. top together, waiting for it to be Once they completed fi ve jumps released. they were no longer called a “leg” The heights didn’t seem to bother and were offi cially “airborne.” Honoring our military +Z\(DVW*DUULVRQ1' this Veterans Day! 2 Veterans | 2017 LARRY FAST TROY FAST WILBERT HARSCH Larry Fast served in the Army Troy Fast; Lance Corporal Wilbert Harsch served in the US as a Spec 5 Air Craft Mechanic Infantry served in the Marine Army from 1963 to 1965 and from 1967 to 1969. He served 1 Corp. from 1991-1995. He was National Guard in 1976 year in the Vietnam War. based in Hawaii and Okinawa, E4; Headquarters and Head- Japan quarters Battery 14th Artillery at Furth, Germany Colonel James Olson was recently named 68th Troop Command commander. Olson named Troop Commander Soldiers of the Bismarck-based 68th Troop Command welcomed a new commander to the unit Sept. 17 during a change of command ceremony LAUREN TANDBERG LEWIS VIGEN JR. SOLOMON C DRATH at the Raymond J. Bohn Armory. Col. James Olson assumed duties as the 68th Troop Command com- Lauren Tandberg, former AVS Petty Offi cer 1st Class Lewis Solomon C Drath, Korean War mander from Col. Scott Fontaine, who has served in the position since employee, served in Vietnam Cody Vigen Jr. served from May 50-52 Served with 123rd Infan- 2015. Fontaine retired after more than 28 years of service with the North 1969-1970 with the 11th Ar- 1999 to July 2009. try, 2nd Indian head Division. Dakota Army National Guard. mored Cavalry, Blackhorse. Nuclear Physicist :Submarines, He received the Service Com- Olson enlisted in the North Dakota Guard in 1986. He was commis- SS BN 735-USS Pennslvania. bat Medal with 4 bronze stars sioned through the Reserve Offi cer Training Corps at North Dakota State and the United Nations Service University and has served in several leadership roles as an engineer offi cer Medal. in the 142nd Engineer Battalion. His most recent assignments include deputy commander of the 141st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade and commander of the 136th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. Olson has deployed for overseas missions three times. In 2000, he served in support of Operation Joint Guardian in Kosovo as a general construction platoon leader with the 142nd Engineer Battalion.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Building a Flying Machine
    Building a Flying Machine By: Arianna Bilal-Threats At first we made our fuselage out of straws because we thought air flow would take over and increase lift. We made the wings out of folder paper because we thought it would be sturdier than regular paper. After learning about the 4 forces- lift, thrust, drag, and weight, we knew that there needed to be a point at the front of the plane called a nose. So, we used a fuselage made out of a plastic bottle because it has a point that looked like a nose. We cut the bottom off of the bottle. We thought the air would flow through and increase lift, the force that brings you up. And for wings, we used cardboard. We also had double wings because at a museum we saw the Wright brothers plane had double wings and their plane was a success. Then, we noticed our fuselage was the heaviest part of the plane. So, we made a plane with all paper. We folded a half of a paper into a tube and put a paper point at the front for a nose. Then, for the wings we made little rectangles (x4) and took 2. Then, we curved one and put it on top. The same for the other wing. We decided to put a curve on top of the wing to increase a stream lined shape. That flew! But, not for long. We were happy but we wanted something that flew long distance. So, we tried something simpler. We used a straw and taped two wings on top.
    [Show full text]
  • The Design and Development of an Electromechanical Drogue Parachute Line Release Mechanism for Level 3 High-Power Amateur Rockets
    Portland State University PDXScholar University Honors Theses University Honors College 5-24-2019 The Design and Development of an Electromechanical Drogue Parachute Line Release Mechanism for Level 3 High-Power Amateur Rockets Marie House Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/honorstheses Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation House, Marie, "The Design and Development of an Electromechanical Drogue Parachute Line Release Mechanism for Level 3 High-Power Amateur Rockets" (2019). University Honors Theses. Paper 753. https://doi.org/10.15760/honors.770 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in University Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. The design and development of an electromechanical drogue parachute line release mechanism for level 3 high-power amateur rockets by Marie House An undergraduate honors thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science in University Honors and Mechanical Engineering Thesis Adviser Robert Paxton Portland State University 2019 Abstract This research has developed a viable drogue parachute release system sufficient for recovering level 3 amateur rockets. The system is based on the simple mechanics of combining two lever arms and a 2 to 1 pulley interaction to create a 200:1 force reduction between the weight applied to the system and the force required to release it. A linear actuator retracts a release cord, triggering the three rings that hold the system together to unfurl from one another and separate the drogue parachute from the payload.
    [Show full text]
  • This Index Lists the Army Units for Which Records Are Available at the Eisenhower Library
    DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER LIBRARY ABILENE, KANSAS U.S. ARMY: Unit Records, 1917-1950 Linear feet: 687 Approximate number of pages: 1,300,000 The U.S. Army Unit Records collection (formerly: U.S. Army, U.S. Forces, European Theater: Selected After Action Reports, 1941-45) primarily spans the period from 1917 to 1950, with the bulk of the material covering the World War II years (1942-45). The collection is comprised of organizational and operational records and miscellaneous historical material from the files of army units that served in World War II. The collection was originally in the custody of the World War II Records Division (now the Modern Military Records Branch), National Archives and Records Service. The material was withdrawn from their holdings in 1960 and sent to the Kansas City Federal Records Center for shipment to the Eisenhower Library. The records were received by the Library from the Kansas City Records Center on June 1, 1962. Most of the collection contained formerly classified material that was bulk-declassified on June 29, 1973, under declassification project number 735035. General restrictions on the use of records in the National Archives still apply. The collection consists primarily of material from infantry, airborne, cavalry, armor, artillery, engineer, and tank destroyer units; roughly half of the collection consists of material from infantry units, division through company levels. Although the collection contains material from over 2,000 units, with each unit forming a separate series, every army unit that served in World War II is not represented. Approximately seventy-five percent of the documents are from units in the European Theater of Operations, about twenty percent from the Pacific theater, and about five percent from units that served in the western hemisphere during World War II.
    [Show full text]
  • State Archives of North Carolina Tiny Broadwick Pioneer of Aviation Lesson Guide This Is a Picture of the Balloon from Which Tiny Made Most of Her Jumps
    State Archives of North Carolina Tiny Broadwick Pioneer of Aviation Lesson Guide This is a picture of the balloon from which Tiny made most of her jumps. 1 Fun facts about the “Broadwick” balloons •No altimeter was used so she had to listen for the sound of a blank being shot out of a gun for the signal to jump. •The balloon usually rose two thousand feet or higher. •The heat used to inflate the balloon was coal oil which gave the ever-present possibility of it catching on fire. •The winds were unpredictable and steering the parachute almost impossible. •The balloon was made out of eleven hundred yards of sheeting like unbleached muslin. •The balloon stood ninety-two feet high and fifty-six feet through the middle. •Tiny would hang on a trapeze suspended from the balloon. •When the air in the balloon cooled, it was at maximum height. •The aeronaut had to jump before the balloon cooled too much since it would start to fall. •There was no gauge to tell when the balloon was ready to rise; the aeronaut had to use his/her intuition. •Before Charles Broadwick invented a automatic ground support, at least 15 to 20 men would have to hold the balloon down before they released it and it rose. Make a list of things you notice about the balloon pictured here that is different from balloons used today? 2 While you are looking at these images of Tiny think about the type of clothing she is wearing. # 1 Photograph of Tiny Broadwick in outfit worn as #2 Tiny Broadwick wearing one of her outfits she “Doll girl.” wore for airplane jumps.
    [Show full text]
  • Training Guide for Powered Parachute Ultralights
    TTrraaiinniinngg GGuuiiddee ffoorr PPoowweerreedd PPaarraacchhuuttee UUllttrraalliigghhttss Safety Information for Instructors and Students EAA Powered Parachute Ultralight Training Guide Version 1.2 ______________________________________________________________________________ Introduction Ultralight aviation in the United States is the most unencumbered opportunity for solo flight in the world. Tremendous freedoms are given to ultralight pilots. However, at the same time there are strict limitations that must be followed. With this freedom, however, come responsibilities to ensure the safety of other individuals in the airspace as well as on the ground. In 1982 the FAA issued Federal Aviation Regulation Part 103, Ultralight Vehicles. With this regulation, the FAA chose to identify ultralights as vehicles and not aircraft. Because they are vehicles and not aircraft, this regulation allows individuals to operate ultralight vehicles without requiring FAA pilot or vehicle certification. Upon publishing Part 103 the FAA said it did not wish to issue pilot certificates for ultralight operators. Instead, the FAA said individuals who want to fly ultralights should participate in industry-established self-regulation and training programs. Since 1983 EAA has maintained programs to support Part 103 and has held an exemption to Part 103 that allowed the operation of 2-place ultralight training vehicles by authorized ultralight flight instructors. In 2004, the FAA passed the sport pilot & light-sport aircraft regulations. One specific purpose of this new rule was to transition 2-place ultralight training vehicles to experimental light-sport aircraft. As a result, after the training exemption expires on 1/31/08 there will no longer be a way to fly a 2-place ultralight to train ultralight pilots.
    [Show full text]
  • Properly Sizing Parachutes for Your Rockets
    I S S U E 1 4 9 - OCTOBER 7, 2 0 0 5 Properly Sizing Parachutes for Your Rockets INSIDE: • Working with Parachute Descent Rates • Refinishing Damaged Tubes • Website Worth Visiting 1130 Elkton Drive, Suite A Colorado Springs, Colorado 80907 USA www.ApogeeRockets.com e-mail: [email protected] phone: 719-535-9335 fax: 719-534-9050 I S S U E 1 4 9 - OCTOBER 7 , 2 0 0 5 than any other recovery method. The best parachutes are made from strong, thin, soft, fl exible material. For "Are Your Descent Rates Decent?": small models, thin plastic sheets work very well be- Calculating How Fast Your Models Fall cause they can be folded up tightly to fi t into small-di- ameter body tubes. Some sources for parachute cano- pies include: Mylar®, plastic drop cloths, dry-cleaning by John Manfredo bags, trash bags, and gift-wrapping plastic. Use care when selecting a plastic material for a parachute. Test {Ed. Part I of this article comes from the book: it by trying to tear it in both directions-sometimes the "Model Rocket Design and Construction" by Tim Van material is strong in one direction but weak in another. Milligan.} Use only plastic that is strong in both directions. For PART I rockets with a descent mass greater than 300 grams (10.5 oz.) use a cloth material like cotton, silk, polyes- ter, or nylon. These materials can withstand the larger Parachute Design opening forces that bigger models can create. Heat- Parachutes can be used on almost any size rocket.
    [Show full text]
  • Design and Testing of the Kistler Landing System Parachutes
    AIAA-99-1707 DESIGN AND TESTING OF THE KISTLER LANDING SYSTEM PARACHUTES Anthony P. Taylor*, Robert J. Sinclair , Richard D. Allamby, M.B.E.à Irvin Aerospace Inc., Santa Ana, California 92704 The Kistler Landing system consists of parachutes and airbags to land both stages of the Kistler Aerospace, K-1 Reusable Launch Vehicle. The K-1 Reusable Launch Vehicle is a commercial venture to develop the worlds first fully re-usable launch vehicle. The unmanned launcher consists of two stages, the first or Launch Assist Platform (LAP), and the second stage, or Orbital Vehicle (OV). This paper presents an update on the status of parachute testing for the Kistler program. Introduction The Kistler Landing system consists of parachutes and airbags to land both stages of the Kistler Aerospace, K-1 Reusable Launch Vehicle. The K-1 Reusable Launch Vehicle is a commercial venture to develop the worlds first fully re-usable launch vehicle. The unmanned launcher consists of two stages, the first or Launch Assist Platform (LAP), and the second stage, or Orbital Vehicle (OV). Following staging, the LAP performs a return to launch site maneuver and is then recovered for a soft earth landing using parachutes and airbags. Recovery of the nearly 45,000 lb vehicle is accomplished with a drogue and main stage, followed by an airbag attenuated impact. The drogue stage consists of two 40.0 ft conical ribbon parachutes, similar in design to the shuttle orbiter parabrake. The main stage consists of six (6), 156.0 ft. diameter ring sail parachutes. These parachutes are rigged in two clusters of three parachutes.
    [Show full text]
  • The System Approach to Spin/Stall Parachute Recovery Systems--A Five Year Update
    The System Approach to Spin/Stall Parachute Recovery Systems--A Five Year Update Anthony P. (Tony) Taylor Director, Business and Technical Development Irvin Aerospace Inc INTRODUCTION Slightly over 5 years ago, Irvin Aerospace Inc (Irvin) presented to the SETP Symposium our solution to the ‘System Approach’ for Spin/Stall Parachute Recovery Systems (SSPRS). In general, this involved additional involvement of the parachute manufacturer, to provide the entire suite of components that support the control, deployment and release of the parachute. In our previous experience, several of these components were designed and built by the airframe manufacturer, typically by a flight test organization. For reasons that will be described, this approach is largely being replaced by the ‘one stop shop’ approach. The benefits, including highly increased experience and lessons learned, are outlined herein. This Paper reviews our experiences over the past five (5) years. Having delivered, installed, and operated systems on tens of aircraft, and several classes, we have refined and improved equipment, procedures and processes. Many of these lessons learned are presented, either as general programmatic comments, or as descriptions of detailed changes to critical components. We also present some lessons learned that are directly related to flight-testing this class of system. Finally, we present some system deployment sequences that provide enhanced understanding of the overall system function. IRVIN AEROSPACE INC PAGE: 2 OF 34 WHAT IS A SPIN/STALL PARACHUTE RECOVERY SYSTEM? The parachute approach to Spin/Stall Parachute Recovery System (SSPRS) is rather well defined. It involves a relatively rapid deployment of the parachute from the aircrafts tail.
    [Show full text]
  • Part 105—Parachute Operations
    Federal Aviation Administration, DOT § 105.3 PART 105—PARACHUTE (c) Sections 105.5, 105.9, 105.13, 105.15, OPERATIONS 105.17, 105.19 through 105.23, 105.25(a)(1) and 105.27 of this part do not apply to Subpart A—General a parachute operation conducted by a member of an Armed Force— Sec. (1) Over or within a restricted area 105.1 Applicability. when that area is under the control of 105.3 Definitions. an Armed Force. 105.5 General. 105.7 use of alcohol and drugs. (2) During military operations in un- 105.9 Inspections. controlled airspace. Subpart B—Operating Rules § 105.3 Definitions. 105.13 Radio equipment and use require- For the purposes of this part— ments. Approved parachute means a para- 105.15 Information required and notice of chute manufactured under a type cer- cancellation or postponement of a para- tificate or a Technical Standard Order chute operation. (C–23 series), or a personnel-carrying 105.17 Flight visibility and clearance from U.S. military parachute (other than a cloud requirements. high altitude, high speed, or ejection 105.19 Parachute operations between sunset type) identified by a Navy Air Facility, and sunrise. 105.21 Parachute operations over or into a an Army Air Field, and Air Force-Navy congested area or an open-air assembly drawing number, an Army Air Field of persons. order number, or any other military 105.23 Parachute operations over or onto designation or specification number. airports. Automatic Activation Device means a 105.25 Parachute operations in designated self-contained mechanical or electro- airspace.
    [Show full text]
  • Stabilizing Mechanisms for Personnel Parachute Systems
    Stabilizing mechanisms for personnel parachute systems “…I lay on my back. The center of spinning is somewhere near my neck. My feet are going in a large circle, my head in a small one. I am spinning with frightening speed. I have do get out of this corkscrew spin, otherwise it will be bad. I am making reverse jerks, throwing out my right arm. With difficulty I get out of the spin, but I don’t see the ground…..I don’t even know in what position I am falling. Blood rings in my ears. In order to equalize the pressure I try to sing. But the song doesn’t work. Then I simply start to yell, like a town crier, the first words that come to mind….Losing orientation, I again can’t see anything. I am shaken, thrown from side to side, twisted and rolled. I am stunned and can’t figure out what I need to do in order to stop this torture…” This is an extract from a story of one the pioneers of Soviet parachuting, the well known sport jumper Nikolai Evdokimov, about the record setting jump with a 142 second delay from a height of 8100 meters made by him on July 17, 1934. The first parachutists, starting to master jumps with delayed openings, were confronted with what is now called unstable freefall. At that time they didn’t know how to control it. UNSTABLE FREEFALL In addition to jumps with an immediate opening of the parachute, when the parachute is opened immediately after exiting from the aircraft by a staticline, it is sometimes necessary to make jumps with a delayed opening.
    [Show full text]
  • Decision to Use an Airframe Parachute in a Flight Training Environment
    Publications 2014 Decision to Use an Airframe Parachute in a Flight Training Environment Scott R. Winter Florida Institute of Technology, [email protected] Richard O. Fanjoy Purdue University Chien-Tsung Lu Purdue University Thomas Q. Carney Purdue University James P. Greenan Purdue University Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.erau.edu/publication Part of the Aviation Safety and Security Commons, and the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Scholarly Commons Citation Winter, S. R., Fanjoy, R. O., Lu, C., Carney, T. Q., & Greenan, J. P. (2014). Decision to Use an Airframe Parachute in a Flight Training Environment. Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.7771/2159-6670.1091 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Publications by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Available online at http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jate Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering 3:2 (2014) 28–34 Decision to Use an Airframe Parachute in a Flight Training Environment Scott R. Winter Florida Institute of Technology Richard O. Fanjoy, Chien-Tsung Lu, Thomas Q. Carney, and James P. Greenan Purdue University Abstract The purpose of this study was to complete a qualitative analysis of the decision-making process used by pilots to determine whether or not to deploy an airframe parachute system. A sample of participants from the subject university’s flight training program was selected to complete a scripted simulator flight in instrument flight conditions. During the flight, participants experienced an engine failure while en- route during IFR conditions.
    [Show full text]
  • NTSB Aviation Incident Final Report
    National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Incident Final Report Location: Dallas, TX Incident Number: CEN13IA285 Date & Time: 05/16/2013, 1120 CDT Registration: N715CD Aircraft: CIRRUS SR22 Aircraft Damage: None Defining Event: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) Injuries: 1 None Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal Analysis The pilot reported that he lost airplane control during cruise flight in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and turbulence. He subsequently activated the airplane’s parachute system, but the parachute failed to deploy. The pilot regained control of the airplane after exiting IMC and landed the airplane without further incident. Certification tests were performed from level flight at speeds ranging from 62 to 137 knots indicated airspeed, and one test included deployment of the parachute system after a one-turn spin. The testing showed that to minimize the chances of parachute entanglement and reduce aircraft oscillations under the parachute, the parachute system should be activated from a wings-level, upright attitude if possible. Postincident examination of the parachute system did not reveal any system component failure. Postincident testing showed that off-axis deployment of the parachute could exceed the forces required for a successful deployment of the parachute. If the airplane has a large pitch or bank angle or angular rates (or a combination of these) as the parachute rocket leaves the airplane, the airplane will rotate and cause the rocket tether to pull at an angle other than that intended, and the parachute will fail to deploy. Radar data showed that the airplane was in a very dynamic flight pattern with extreme pitch and bank angles when the parachute system was activated.
    [Show full text]