View Full Version : 3 Paratroopers Drown during Military Air Show in Malaysia
Military Airborne exercise mishap at Lima Military Air Show in Malaysia claims 3 lives
Link: http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/12/2/nation/20071202203213&sec=nation
LANGKAWI: Strong winds claimed the lives of three paratroopers, including a woman who drowned during a parachute training exercise at the Mahsuri International Airport here Sunday morning.
Siti Hajar Yaakub, 24, died at sea while her teammates Nurul Wahida Yusuf, 20, and Raymond A/K Duncan, 25, an Iban, died at the Langkawi Hospital.
They were among 160 paratroopers from the 10th Paratrooper Unit of the Terendak Camp, Malacca who took part in the exercise in conjunction with the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (Lima) 2007 event.
Langkawi district police chief Supt Mohamed Ali Jamaluddin said the three officers and 17 others drifted 200m off course and fell from a height of about 300m into the sea off Pantai Cenang during the exercise at 10.15am.
He said five women and six male officers were admitted at the hospital for hypothermia and minor injuries.
One of them, Suraya Ali, 23, was warded in the Intensive Care Unit for broken ribs and punctured lung. Another officer Zaliza Zakaria, 23, who also suffered similar complications.
“We called off the 170-member rescue operation at 12.53pm after all 138 officers who jumped off two aircrafts were rescued,” he said.
He added that the marine police together with the armed forces personnel and fire and rescue services conducted the search and rescue.
Supt Mohd Ali said the team were practising for a performance during the Lima opening on Tuesday.
“The paratrooper team from Malacca usually performs this exercise every Lima.
“This year, the Eastern wind has been somehow quite strong,” he said.
They were jumping a demo at some sort of Air Show, that had been done in the past. Easten winds blew them out over the water and three died.
They may, or may not have been jumping equipment.
For you non-jumpers, that makes it an unintentional water landing, part of the US pre-jump training. Even with equipment it is not hard to follow the instructions and get out of the harness. The old Bang-Box was a little harder. Wind becomes your friend and will blow the canopy away from you as you hit the water.
Sad story but I'd say the three who died were non or weak swimmers.
They were jumping a demo at some sort of Air Show, that had been done in the past. Easten winds blew them out over the water and three died.
They may, or may not have been jumping equipment.
For you non-jumpers, that makes it an unintentional water landing, part of the US pre-jump training. Even with equipment it is not hard to follow the instructions and get out of the harness. The old Bang-Box was a little harder. Wind becomes your friend and will blow the canopy away from you as you hit the water.
Sad story but I'd say the three who died were non or weak swimmers.
You're spot on Pete: a vast majority of muslims and West Malaysian's are either not confident in the water or non swimmers. I had a question though: given the airport is pretty much at the edge of the Island (Langkawi) and there is a risk of getting blown into the sea, would a jump like this have involved having life jackets on by any chance? Or is it just not a norm?
Sorry if its a silly question.
In the US Water Wings are available. They are worn under the parachute harness. They are mostly used for intentional water landings, you pop the cords and they inflate under each arm. You hit the water and float until a boat picks you up.
A US jump in the same kind of area probably would have issued water wings, just in case, had a couple of safty boat offshore, just in case, and the DZSO would have really checked the wind drift and set up a reasonable release point that the aircrew followed.
All of that would not have been noticed by the crowd just out for the show.
In the US Water Wings are available. They are worn under the parachute harness. They are mostly used for intentional water landings, you pop the cords and they inflate under each arm. You hit the water and float until a boat picks you up.
A US jump in the same kind of area probably would have issued water wings, just in case, had a couple of safty boat offshore, just in case, and the DZSO would have really checked the wind drift and set up a reasonable release point that the aircrew followed.
All of that would not have been noticed by the crowd just out for the show.
Thanks for that Pete. I get the distinct impression (having worked with the malaysian army twice in the last few years on outdoor activities) a degree of slackness MAYBE in their risk management assessements prior to the jump.
The Reaper
12-02-2007, 09:41
The USASOC Parachute Safety reg requires B-7 or equivalent floatation devices and safety boats if the jump is within a certain distance of water.
That distance seems to get further every time a soldier drowns on an unintentional water jump.
In Panama, there was a half-day water safety course required of all jumpers that included pool time under a canopy. No pass, no jumping.
TR
..In Panama, there was a half-day water safety course required of all jumpers that included pool time under a canopy. No pass, no jumping....
Find a seam, follow the seam. Yes folks, you can breathe while in the water and under a canopy.
My one and only land jump in Panama was when we flew down from Bragg. About three back in the stick and going through the jump commands, the right door went up and all I could see was ocean. The light turned green, the stick started moving and I still only saw ocean. It was only when I turned into the door that I saw we were over land.
Then I noticed "Oh, look, a nice grassy DZ." As I started to land in the "grass" I found out it was about 7 foot tall. Man, what a mess that made in the kit bag.
60_Driver
12-02-2007, 10:59
Then I noticed "Oh, look, a nice grassy DZ." As I started to land in the "grass" I found out it was about 7 foot tall. Man, what a mess that made in the kit bag.
I can't remember the name of the DZ, I think it was Gatun, but it was covered in elephant grass that was sometimes 10 feet tall.
We had a lot of busted legs from guys jumping out of the helos before we'd determined how tall the grass was...
The Reaper
12-02-2007, 10:59
My one and only land jump in Panama was when we flew down from Bragg. About three back in the stick and going through the jump commands, the right door went up and all I could see was ocean. The light turned green, the stick started moving and I still only saw ocean. It was only when I turned into the door that I saw we were over land.
Then I noticed "Oh, look, a nice grassy DZ." As I started to land in the "grass" I found out it was about 7 foot tall. Man, what a mess that made in the kit bag.
Sounds like Coats-Deblois DZ.
Lots of sticks put out a few seconds too early and wound up in the drink on that one.
Nothing like landing on the beach and having a canopy in the surf filling with sand and water.
Locals from the village right there on the beach would just stand by and watch to see if you made it or not. Fun and games.
Yep, 60 Driver, the deep elephant grass was on Gatun. It did make for a soft landing and minimal PLF, but finding the rally and turn-in points could be a problem if you were not well oriented when you landed. I remember landing maybe 20 feet from the edge of the clearing, in 10 foot high grass, and it took me fifteen minutes to break through to the DZ, I had to take a bearing to do that.
TR
I am assuming that none of the 3 that drowned could swim as both the women were muslim (they are renowned for being non swimmers) and the sarawakian Iban (the only male who drowned) must have been a native from a village in the miri/bintulu area possibly so also another who probably wasn't a swimmer.
I suppose there always is an element of risk whenever jumping and the jumpers are either trained and prepared well for it or they aren't.
More news on the incident: http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/12/3/nation/19645874&sec=nation&focus=1
Couple of photos of the paratroopers landing on the air strip and on some of the parked aircraft on the apron...
They had Stearable parachutes.
You can hold into the wind all you want but with heavy winds you'll still be blow backwards. Not much you can do if you're blown out over water except execute a water landing.
I see a lot of aircraft on the pavement. Makes it a bit harder but with a stearable canopy you crab or run to miss most of the stuff, turning into the wind just before landing.
More than once I've gone "Oh, this is going to hurt bad." and landed with one hand on the quick release and let fly as my feet hit the ground.
High winds and pavement usually get the feet, ass, back of the head, stars in the eyes landing. Remember, crab off to one side or the other just before landing. You roll better that way.
You have plenty of time in the air if you think about what you are doing and LOOK.
A number of them had broken bones and punctured lungs from landing in the jungle surrounding the airport..and some were fast enough to dump their gear and chute when/before they hit the water...they were picked up by fishermen..but there were no boats from the navy or marine police or fire department so, essentially, there was no Plan B.
Poor planning to a certain degree perhaps.
The jump masters apparently held back the last few jumpers when they realized there were big problems with the drop..
This is what I am hearing from friends over at the air show