View Full Version : Tamdom Jump goes South??
The instructor became separated from the student??
How does that happen??
Body found of skydiving instructor who disappeared during tandem jump
LEBANON, Maine -- Authorities in Maine on Friday found the body of a skydiving instructor who became separated from his student during a tandem jump. Brett Bickford, 41, of Rochester, New Hampshire, and his student participated in a jump about 2 p.m. Thursday near Skydive New England in Lebanon, officials said. The student called police after he landed safely and couldn't find his instructor.
A search team found Bickford's body shortly before 5:30 p.m. Friday about 750 feet southwest of the Lebanon Airport runway, said Cpl. John MacDonald, spokesman for the Maine Warden Service.
Bickford was found as the team was completing one of the few remaining grid searches for the day, MacDonald said. Authorities suspended Thursday's search around 9 p.m. and resumed Friday morning.
Investigators say Bickford and the student became separated about a mile above the ground, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland said. Bickford didn't have a backup parachute, McCausland said.
Bickford and the student used the same parachute in the jump, which is typical of a tandem jump. Police weren't sure how the skydivers became separated.
The investigation to determine what caused the fatal skydiving accident is ongoing, MacDonald said.
The Maine State Police, Maine Warden Service and members from search and rescue squads were involved in the search for Bickford on Friday.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brett-bickford-dead-lebron-maine-skydiving-instructor-body-found-today-2018-09-28/?ftag=CNM-00-10aag7e
:munchin
Team Sergeant
09-29-2018, 11:01
That was a really good trick! Too bad it can only be done once...........
rsdengler
09-29-2018, 11:19
Wow....I better be more aware when I go Tandem Jumping next month after I get back from Vacation......Hello, Instructor Bob are you still there....I feel light as a feather......:p
Papa Zero Three
09-29-2018, 11:46
The only way I can envision the instructor coming out of the rig with an attached student is if the instructor was wearing the main lift web/harness loosely on himself.
During opening shock, if a jumper bends at the waist ( imagine reaching down and touching your toes with both hands) from a hard opening, it is possible for the jumper to slide out of the harness, butt first, followed by legs leaving the leg straps and the upper body sliding down the main pack tray and back into freefall until impact.
From the way the article is written, this is what I think may have happened. Another unanswered part is if this did happen as I described, how did the student fly the tandem system he was still attached to back to the DZ? One would assume the student had enough knowledge on how to unstow the brakes and fly the canopy to the DZ.
Was this a Student training to become a Tandem master and the “instructor “ was flying in the “passenger “ position????
Team Sergeant
09-29-2018, 16:14
One of the team members used to bring in the "Parachutist" magazine and we'd go right to the back pages and read the "cause of death" obits........
Cause of death: Impact
Cause of death: Impact
Cause of death: Impact
Cause of death: Impact
Cause of death: Impact
Cause of death: Hanging
Some of them should have read: Cause of death: Stupidity.
I'm betting the base jumpers have a really fun to read cause of death section....... ;)
I wonder what info he had on Hiliary...
I never tandemed but understood the instructor was strapped in and the student was strapped to him. How in the world could an instructor fall out first. Remind me to never go tandem..
Team Sergeant
09-30-2018, 18:59
I never tandemed but understood the instructor was strapped in and the student was strapped to him. How in the world could an instructor fall out first. Remind me to never go tandem..
And you wonder why I said it was a a great trick? ;)
There is a long and tragic history of students falling out of the harness. It is almost always a result of the instructor failing to properly fit the harness on the ground, failing to properly adjust the harness prior to hookup, and failing to do a proper check after hook-up and prior to exit.
When the tandem pair exits the aircraft it is possible that the student could be ejected soon after exit, or during canopy deployment because of improper equipment fit.
There is a long a tragic history of solo skydivers falling out of their parachute harness during canopy deployment. It almost always a result of the jumper failing to properly route the chest strap. It also suggests a failure to get a proper gear check before loading the aircraft and a failure to do a proper gear check prior to exit.
I have never heard of a tandem instructor falling from a harness. Catastrophic equipment failure is a possibility, but it is almost unheard of for jumpers to fall from a harness because of catastrophic equipment failure. Not to mention, catastrophic equipment failure of the harness container in a way that allowed enough structural integrity for the STUDENT to safely land the parachute. Incidents like this are almost always a product of jumper/instructor error. Accidents are a tragedy but they happen.
So – now for the tinfoil hat angle – when things aren’t an accident they must be intentional…
…is it possible that the early departure was intentional?
If the instructors harness was so loose that he was ejected during deployment, how did the student get the toggles? The article specifically said “after he landed safely"
That’s what I can’t wrap my head around. The student had to have had those toggles in his hands to land safely. That tells me that the instructor must have passed the toggles to him at some point. If you have ever “front-rode” a tandem you would know it is nearly impossible to secure and unstow the toggles without help from the instructor.
I've made hundreds of tandem jumps; I'm not proud of it, but I've made a few where I may not have properly adjusted leg straps or main lift web. To have it so far out of adjustment that an instructor could fall from the harness is something I just can't visualize.
There has to be a LOT more to this story than any of us will ever see in the newspapers.
TrapperFrank
10-01-2018, 09:10
This sounds like a case for Columbo.
rsdengler
10-01-2018, 09:48
There is a long and tragic history of students falling out of the harness. It is almost always a result of the instructor failing to properly fit the harness on the ground, failing to properly adjust the harness prior to hookup, and failing to do a proper check after hook-up and prior to exit.
When the tandem pair exits the aircraft it is possible that the student could be ejected soon after exit, or during canopy deployment because of improper equipment fit.
There is a long a tragic history of solo skydivers falling out of their parachute harness during canopy deployment. It almost always a result of the jumper failing to properly route the chest strap. It also suggests a failure to get a proper gear check before loading the aircraft and a failure to do a proper gear check prior to exit.
I have never heard of a tandem instructor falling from a harness. Catastrophic equipment failure is a possibility, but it is almost unheard of for jumpers to fall from a harness because of catastrophic equipment failure. Not to mention, catastrophic equipment failure of the harness container in a way that allowed enough structural integrity for the STUDENT to safely land the parachute. Incidents like this are almost always a product of jumper/instructor error. Accidents are a tragedy but they happen.
So – now for the tinfoil hat angle – when things aren’t an accident they must be intentional…
…is it possible that the early departure was intentional?
If the instructors harness was so loose that he was ejected during deployment, how did the student get the toggles? The article specifically said “after he landed safely"
That’s what I can’t wrap my head around. The student had to have had those toggles in his hands to land safely. That tells me that the instructor must have passed the toggles to him at some point. If you have ever “front-rode” a tandem you would know it is nearly impossible to secure and unstow the toggles without help from the instructor.
I've made hundreds of tandem jumps; I'm not proud of it, but I've made a few where I may not have properly adjusted leg straps or main lift web. To have it so far out of adjustment that an instructor could fall from the harness is something I just can't visualize.
There has to be a LOT more to this story than any of us will ever see in the newspapers.
Ahhhhhh....Thanks, that makes me feel confident when I go on my Tandem Jump....but...you better believe I will be riding my tandem instructor on safety checks.....:p
Utah Bob
10-02-2018, 08:49
This sounds like a case for Columbo.
My thought exactly. :D
Although these days I guess it would be CSI (or NCIS if there's any seamen involved) Did I spell that right? ;)
My thought exactly. :D
Although these days I guess it would be CSI (or NCIS if there's any seamen involved) Did I spell that right? ;)
If a bunch of seamen hit the ground at full speed from a mile in the air - there would be a mess splattered all over the place.
NCIS would have their hands full.
My thought exactly. :D
Although these days I guess it would be CSI (or NCIS if there are any seamen involved) Did I spell that right? ;)
You should dress up your blue-ish vocabulary...
Team Sergeant
10-03-2018, 12:38
There has to be a LOT more to this story than any of us will ever see in the newspapers.
Agree.
That instructor had to work hard to get out of the harness while leaving the student in "control".
Assisted suicide ?
Agree.
That instructor had to work hard to get out of the harness while leaving the student in "control".
Assisted suicide ?
That is what came to mind.. :munchin
HardRoad
10-04-2018, 07:12
Agree.
That instructor had to work hard to get out of the harness while leaving the student in "control".
Assisted suicide ?
There's got to be an easier way to kill yourself than burning in from 10,000 feet. What if you got to 3 grand and changed your mind?
rsdengler
10-04-2018, 07:27
There's got to be an easier way to kill yourself than burning in from 10,000 feet. What if you got to 3 grand and changed your mind?
....Flap your Arms; Really, Really Fast.....:D
Team Sergeant
10-04-2018, 09:41
There's got to be an easier way to kill yourself than burning in from 10,000 feet. What if you got to 3 grand and changed your mind?
LOL, there was a documentary on idiots that jump from the San Fran Bridge, they placed a camera on likely jump sites for a whole year. Filmed many jumps, and one survived to tell his story. Said as soon as he jumped he knew he made a mistake..... but he lived through it.
My only guess is that this individual wanted to go out with a splash. ;)
As many surmised...suicide.
Headlines below, link to complete article at bottom.
Skydiving instructor, 41, who mysteriously became separated from his student during a tandem jump, 'committed suicide by purposely releasing himself from their parachute MIDAIR'
Maine State Police said skydiving instructor Brett Bickford committed suicide
Bickford became separated from his student during September tandem jump
His body was found a day after incident in Lebanon, Maine; the student survived
Police said interviews with other skydivers led them to believe it wasn't a mistake
Investigators said Bickford, 41, intentionally 'loosened his harness midair'
Bickford detached a mile from landing, and without a parachute, police said
He was a seasoned instructor for Skydive New England in Lebanon, Maine
By VALERIE EDWARDS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 16:45 EST, 27 November 2018 | UPDATED: 17:21 EST, 27 November 2018
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6435415/Skydiving-instructor-41-committed-suicide-releasing-student-mid-air.html
Team Sergeant
11-28-2018, 09:01
As many surmised...suicide.
Headlines below, link to complete article at bottom.
Skydiving instructor, 41, who mysteriously became separated from his student during a tandem jump, 'committed suicide by purposely releasing himself from their parachute MIDAIR'
Maine State Police said skydiving instructor Brett Bickford committed suicide
Bickford became separated from his student during September tandem jump
His body was found a day after incident in Lebanon, Maine; the student survived
Police said interviews with other skydivers led them to believe it wasn't a mistake
Investigators said Bickford, 41, intentionally 'loosened his harness midair'
Bickford detached a mile from landing, and without a parachute, police said
He was a seasoned instructor for Skydive New England in Lebanon, Maine
By VALERIE EDWARDS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 16:45 EST, 27 November 2018 | UPDATED: 17:21 EST, 27 November 2018
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6435415/Skydiving-instructor-41-committed-suicide-releasing-student-mid-air.html
LOL, yup, didn't take barney fife long to figure that one out..........:rolleyes:
LOL, yup, didn't take barney fife long to figure that one out..........:rolleyes:
Lol, well coulda been some unlucky dude with dirt on Hillary...;)
rsdengler
11-28-2018, 12:19
As many surmised...suicide.
Police said interviews with other skydivers led them to believe it wasn't a mistake
Investigators said Bickford, 41, intentionally 'loosened his harness midair'
Bickford detached a mile from landing, and without a parachute, police said
With my luck, he would have loosened my harness in midair instead of his.....Now why would you commit suicide on a tandem jump w/a student? What if you f'd up and took the student with you? Hey, he should have just jumped out of the airplane w/out his chute...now that would have been the way to do it....just saying....:lifter
In September a Skydive New England spokesperson said the freefall was 'uneventful' and that the only incident was that the instructor went missing.
Would they make the same statement if the jump aircraft landed without the pilot?
"The flight was uneventful, the landing was nominal, and the only incident was that the cockpit was empty."
One of the team members used to bring in the "Parachutist" magazine and we'd go right to the back pages and read the "cause of death" obits........
Cause of death: Impact
Cause of death: Impact
Cause of death: Impact
Cause of death: Impact
Cause of death: Impact
Cause of death: Hanging
Some of them should have read: Cause of death: Stupidity.
I'm betting the base jumpers have a really fun to read cause of death section....... ;)
And people ask me why I have no interest on going on a Tandem.....
The February 2019 'Parachutist' Magazine published the incident report....
Description:
After an uneventful freefall and normal main-canopy deployment at approximately 6,000 feet during a tandem skydive, the instructor followed routine tandem procedures, which included performing a check for canopy controllability and adjusting the harness for landing and the comfort of the student. The instructor then briefed the student on how to steer and land the canopy. About two minutes of silence followed. After the silence, the student reported feeling “jostling” behind him and then saw his instructor’s legs coming up in front of him. He reached back and discovered his instructor was no longer with him. The student, realizing he was alone and not flying toward the airport, used the toggles that he still had in his hands from the briefing to turn the canopy to face the airport and line up with the runway. He followed the runway until he landed near the end of it. He landed in a sitting position with his legs up, as he had learned in his ground briefing before the jump, and walked away unassisted. Medical professionals examined him later and reported that he sustained only minor bruising. Several agencies immediately began an exhaustive search for the instructor using aircraft and other techniques. They found him deceased approximately 27 hours later in a heavily wooded area northwest of the intended landing area.
Conclusions:
Multiple organizations—including the state police, the Federal Aviation Administration and the gear manufacturer—conducted an extensive, almost two-month-long investigation into this incident. The FAA and the gear manufacturer performed an inspection of the equipment and found no defects. After interviewing industry experts and concluding that an experienced skydiver would not accidentally loosen a harness enough to slip out, the state police ruled the death a suicide. They did not report whether the instructor left behind a note. Additionally, the coroner sent fluid and tissue samples to a medical lab for toxicology testing, which tested for a variety of substances, including cannabinoids. Unlike a standard urinalysis, which tests for the inactive metabolite THC, post-mortem testing detects the primary psychoactive agents in marijuana—Delta-9 THC and Delta-9 Carboxy THC—and can determine whether a person was actively under the influence of marijuana at the time of death. The report for this jumper indicated that he had sufficient levels of Delta-9 THC and Delta-9 Carboxy THC in his system to be considered under the influence and suggests that he had likely ingested marijuana shortly before the jump. Being under the influence of marijuana may have affected this jumper’s judgment. It is against FAA and USPA regulations to skydive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Federal Aviation Regulation Part 105.7 states the following: “No person may conduct a parachute operation, and no pilot in command of an aircraft may allow a person to conduct a parachute operation from that aircraft if that person is or appears to be under the influence of— (a) Alcohol, or (b) Any drug that affects that person’s faculties in any way contrary to safety.” Additionally, tandem instructors must hold an FAA Third-Class Medical Certificate, which requires reporting drug use—legal or illegal—since the last renewal of the medical. Thankfully, positive test results for drug or alcohol use following a skydiving fatality are rare. It goes without saying that jumping while impaired by any drug or alcohol adds risk not only to the impaired jumper but all other jumpers on the load, the pilot and the drop zone owner, as well as people on the ground.
Age: 41
Sex: Male
Time in Sport: 10 years
Total Number of Jumps: 4,509
Skydives Within the Last 12 Months: 464
Cause of Death: Blunt-force trauma after striking the ground with no parachute
System: UPT Sigma Tandem
Main: United Parachute Technologies Sigma 340
Wing Loading: 1.26:1
Reserve: United Parachute Technologies VR 360 360
AAD: Airtec
Helmet: Gath (open-face)
RSL: Yes
Absolutely Despicable human being to put a tandem passenger through this kind of shit show.
Pull your steering wheel into a bridge abutment - suck start your Mossberg - or jump out of your own fucking harness - but putting another person at risk like this makes me want to take a shit on this guy's final resting place.
When I was working on my Commercial PL in the '70s I flew up to Casa Grande, AZ, and flew observer a couple of times in their Loadstar. Walking around the "meat bomb" assembly area I heard that several of them took LSD before jumps. Always figured that guys who jump out of aircraft were a little crazy. :D
Casa Grande....
hahahahaha
I used to work at a DZ in Casa Grande on the weekends when I was stationed in Yuma.
There is an interesting crowd living in the Coolidge area - you could visit that DZ and it would make you swear that the movie "Fandango" was a documentary
Casa Grande....
hahahahaha
I used to work at a DZ in Casa Grande on the weekends when I was stationed in Yuma.
There is an interesting crowd living in the Coolidge area - you could visit that DZ and it would make you swear that the movie "Fandango" was a documentary
I had an encounter at Coolidge about the same time. Flying back from PHX to Freeway Airport, in Tucson, as I was about to cross the Coolidge APT I saw a Huey flying above me. Then I saw something fall from it, then another, and another. They had an airshow going on and these guys were part of it. I had to crank hard to the left as the jumpers passed in front of me. It wasn't in the NOTAMS when I left PHX. It was crazy flying in AZ back then. :D
Noah Werka
02-19-2019, 06:37
Walking around the "meat bomb" assembly area I heard that several of them took LSD before jumps. Always figured that guys who jump out of aircraft were a little crazy. :D
Drugs were running rampant at Bragg in the late 60's early 70's. Although I didn't go, I knew of a couple of guys in HALO school that said they had jumped on LSD...more than once. They really were crazy.
Noah W