A quick look at local accident data from the last few years reveals that about 25% of our calls to 911 for help involve landings away from the drop zone. Yet, only a tiny percentage of our actual landings are off the airport. That is a staggering statistic that tends to vary a bit from year to year, but we always see a disproportionate number of injuries and ambulance calls for landings off the airport. We each need to think about ways to prevent off airport landings, mitigate the risk of those landings when they are unavoidable, and develop response plans for use when they do happen.
Off airport landings add stress to a skydive and present the jumper with a variety of unique challenges that require quick thinking and solid canopy control skills. Unfortunately, many of those who land away from the airport are among the least experienced jumpers, and they often have limited experience or underdeveloped canopy control skill. Likewise, off airport landings generally occur on days with relatively high or unpredictable winds, making it difficult for an inexperienced jumper to navigate to a safe alternative landing spot. Sometimes even a conscientious and well trained jumper will simply become overwhelmed by the hazards and the required decision making of an off airport landing. This is especially true of sunset jumps when winds may have suddenly changed and depth perception is degraded by darkness or flat light.
Some of the specific problems associated with landings off the airport include the following:
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Uneven Terrain: Many of the fields around The Ranch are cluttered with drainage ditches, bumps, rocks, or other natural hazards. Some of the local fields that appear flat from the air are actually steep hillsides. Landing on an incline can make judging a flare point very difficult. Cluttered landing areas can cause a jumper to twist an ankle or to fall when running out a landing. Sloped landing areas can cause a jumper to flare too high or too low and may lead to a hard impact. |
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Unpredictable Terrain: Some local fields are left wild, or feature grasses or farm crops that are harvested at different points over the summer season. Tall plants such as unmowed grass can obscure ground clutter and can make it difficult for a jumper to determine actual height above the ground. Without a clear sense of altitude it becomes impossible to accurately judge a flare point, or to anticipate things like ditches or rocks. |
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Obstructed Terrain: A jumper landing away from a drop zone may encounter trees, fences, power lines, clothes lines, volleyball nets, or a wide variety of other man hazards. Often these hazards are not visible until the jumper is committed to a final approach, and sometime objects that appear benign from high overhead become far more menacing when closer to the ground. Jumpers often make a sudden turn to avoid these objects and sometimes cannot complete the turn before landing. |
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Wildlife: Some local fields may be protected by attack dogs or inhabited by large farm animals that could be startled by a descending jumper, and they might attack without warning. Often these animals are not visible from overhead and do not become apparent until a jumper is committed to landing. Even friendly animals may cause a jumper to panic and make poor approach decisions when close to the ground. |
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Turbulence: We generally know where to expect turbulence when landing at a familiar drop zone. Unfortunately, small fields and backyards often feature obstructions that create large or unusual turbulence footprints. Sometimes the related turbulence cannot be predicted or avoided. |
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Wind block behind trees: A jumper facing into a strong wind will often have little penetration. Some landing areas are surrounded by thick trees that block those winds, generating a sudden parachute surge when on final approach below the obstruction. A canopy pilot who does not anticipate a surge when descending into a small or surrounded landing area may be unable to slow the parachute down before running out of landing area or striking objects. |
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Squeaking it back: Jumpers often try to get as close to the drop zone as possible even if they know they will still be landing off the airport. Often a strategy of making as much progress as possible leaves little room for a final turn into the wind, and frequently these low turns cannot be completed safely before reaching the ground. |
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Limited help: An off airport landing is often a lonely experience with nobody nearby to help collapse a parachute in gusty winds, or to call for help if an injury has occurred. A jumper who lands off the airport is more likely to need help, yet there may be nobody nearby to offer that assistance. |
Each skydive should be planned and executed to bring every jumper back to The Ranch, both as a means of reducing injuries, and limiting complaints from our neighbors. When a jump misses its mark the jumper should select the best possible field for landing and then make a considered and deliberate approach. Each off airport landing should be considered an elevated risk and should receive an assistance response based on an assumption of injury.
Survival strategies for off airport landings can be divided into three categories including prevention, execution, and response. We should always consider the following means of managing the risk of off airport landings:
Prevention
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Avoid jumping under adverse or unknown wind conditions. Each jumper should check the winds aloft forecast prior to starting jumping for the day, and again anytime wind conditions appear to change. When jumping at The Ranch we should expect unusual winds and difficult spotting conditions whenever the wind blows from the East or from the South. Likewise, we should be especially cautious when upper level winds are forecasted at speeds in excess of about 50 knots. If you are unsure of your ability to handle a specific wind condition it is best to seek the advice of an instructor or remain on the ground. |
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Know how to spot and do not get out of the airplane if you believe you may not be able to make it back to the drop zone. If you are uncomfortable with your spotting ability seek the assistance of an instructor. Spotting is easiest to teach on weekdays, and is sometimes easiest to learn when jumping from a small airplane such as the Cessna 182. Scheduling training jumps from a Cessna 182 will allow a beginner to actually spot the load while remaining in close communication with the pilot. This experience will build both skill and confidence. |
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Know your outs. Spend some time reviewing an aerial photo of the surrounding area and select alternate landings places based on the image. Use a poor weather day as an opportunity to drive around the region and inspect prominent landing places for hazards. Pay special attention to the areas North and East of The Ranch because the terrain in these areas offers very few good alternate landing areas, and many seemingly open fields may be cluttered or otherwise unsuitable. Knowing what the terrain looks like from the ground will help you select an alternate landing area when needed, and will help you anticipate problems. |
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Maintain an out. Select a jumprun and canopy flight path that will always allow for a landing in an open field. Avoid a canopy flight path over any area that does not provide an appropriate landing place. Keep large open fields in reach at all times. |
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Check for the green light before you exit. Pilots at The Ranch generally select a spot and jumprun that they believe will allow every jumper to land on the airport. They use GPS to help them know when they have traveled too far from the airport, and then turn off the green light when they believe jumpers will not have a solid chance of return. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement or anticipation of a jump and fail to see the light has been turned off. It takes just a second to check the light panel next to the door before your exit. |
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Resist being pressured into making a jump when you are not comfortable with the spot. Evaluate conditions when you are on the ground and select a point beyond which you will not get out. Once on jumprun stick by your decision unless there is a very good reason to change your mind. Listening to other jumpers or tandem instructors screaming at you to "GET OUT" is not a good reason to abdicate good judgment or to exit when you believe the spot is too long. If confronted with other jumpers applying pressure to exit, simply back away from the door and allow them to go first. Move to the front of the airplane and let the pilot know you need another pass, and then make your own exit decision based on safety. |
Execution
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Avoid "get-home-itis." Sometimes it is necessary to land off the airport and that may be a better option than struggling to get back to the drop zone. A controlled off airport landing is sometimes a better option than a struggle to get back followed by a low turn into the wind, or a landing in dense tress short of the intended target. |
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If you believe you are going to land off the airport, select an alternate landing area early in your flight. Keep your alternate field within reach and do not leave the area over that field unless you have another equally suitable alternate within reach. |
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If you know you are going to land off the airport, select a large field as your alternate and then plan to land away from the edge of that field. The edges of fields are more likely to feature fences and power lines, and landing near the edge allows only limited maneuvering room if these hazards are encountered. |
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If you are going to land off the airport, select your alternate landing area based on safety. Some of our neighbors would like us to stay clear of their property, but this should only guide your decision if there are equally suitable landing areas available. Do not pass up a field owned by a "Farmer McNasty" if declining the field will place you at greater risk of injury. |
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Do a complete scan of your intended landing field every few seconds beginning as soon as you know you may be using that field. Constantly be on the lookout for obstructions like fences, power lines, or ditches that may require evasive maneuvers. Begin those evasive maneuvers as early in the approach as is possible, and make them gentle. |
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When landing off the airport assume the ground is uneven, rutted, or rocky. Plan on making a PLF rather than a normal stand up landing. A PLF is especially important if the field is covered with tall grass or you cannot determine your actual height above the ground. If you are not comfortable with your ability to make a PLF see an instructor for extra training. This is a great review topic on poor jumping days when you are looking for things to do, and instructors are more likely to be available when the weather discourages actual jumping. |
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Always land with the parachute above your head. That's an obvious point but one that is often forgotten when a jumper confronts hazards. Fly an approach that allows for small turns early in the approach rather than abrupt turns near the ground. When turns are needed for object avoidance use slow flat turns rather than aggressive toggle turns that create a high speed pendulum effect. If you are unsure how to do flat turns seek the assistance of an instructor and practice the skill on regular skydives. |
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Use all available control inputs to maneuver yourself for a safe landing, but do not attempt any maneuvers that you are not comfortable you can complete consistently. Know how your parachute handles in deep breaks and with front riser inputs. Learn and practice these skills so you will be able to call on them when needed. Not all parachutes handle well in deep breaks so make an effort to know the specific performance offered by your parachute before you need to use that skill. |
Response
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Jump with a group and know the people in your group. If you are jumping solo try to find another jumper in the airplane and agree on a buddy system for protection. Once your parachute is open find your buddy and make sure he is able to get back to the airport. If your buddy cannot reach the airport notify Manifest so he is not left alone. |
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If you are going to land off the airport try to land near other jumpers so you can help each other if there is a problem. Do not land off the airport on purpose, but if you know you will be landing off, try to remain in a group. |
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If you see somebody land off the airport notify Manifest so help can be arranged. When a jumper lands away from the airport we should consider that there is an increased risk of injury, and we should try to reach that jumper as quickly as is safely possible. Each of us should be willing to jump in a car and offer assistance when practical. If you are unable to offer this assistance yourself take the initiative to make sure somebody else is aware of the problem and is arranging a response. |
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If you land off the airport hike to the nearest road as soon as possible and get back to the drop zone quickly. Let Manifest know you landed out and have returned so a search can be called off. |
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If somebody on your load lands off the airport everybody on that load should plan to check in with Manifest. It is sometimes difficult to know if a jumper is missing, so Manifest will often do a check of the load sheet to confirm all jumpers have safely returned. Anticipate this paper roll call. If Manifest uses the public address system to seek check-in please do so quickly. |
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If you land on a neighbor's property please be courteous and keep in mind that the neighbor may be called on to help other jumpers in the future. Our neighbors should be counted on as friends, and that friendship should be fostered in every meeting. |
-Tom Buchanan S&TA