Will Regulating Skydiving Ruin it?
The United States Parachute Association (USPA) is opposing regulation that could be passed as part of a bill that could put some small operators out of business. The Air Tour & Skydiving Safety Improvement Act of 2020 was initially crafted in response to the 2019 crash of a Beech King Air at Dillingham Airfield in Hawaii, which killed all 11 people on board.
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If the bill, which is designed to enhance safety for skydivers, becomes law, the USPA says small skydive operators may not be able to uphold the potentially expensive new safety standards. The legislation would require additional aircraft inspections and training for jump-plane pilots.
The association claims that many accidents are the result of pilot error, “often due to a lack of professionalism” and that professionalism “cannot be regulated.” Would more safety benefit jumpers, though? The USPA reports 486 deaths from skydiving between 2000 and 2021—about 22 deaths per year on average. The actual figure per year appears to be decreasing, with statistics showing 10 deaths related to skydiving in 2021.
Long-time jumper, USPA member since 2000, and D-licensed skydiver, Jenny Swaz says the industry could use some consistent safety guidelines.
“Each drop zone operates a bit differently in the U.S., and I believe that issuing SMS [safety-management system] guidelines will help promote consistency in safety regulations,” Swaz tells Outdoors.com. “Some drop zones are doing a great job of promoting a safe culture, while others are simply not as strict. I hope the new regulations won’t put smaller operations out of business, but I don’t think cutting corners to keep an operation running is safe for either the pilots or the jumpers.”
Swaz says she’s witnessed “too many things go wrong” as a result of cutting corners, including emergency plane landings without the landing gear deployed. “It’s an ongoing joke among skydivers that the reason we jump out of these planes is because we know how old they are, and it often seems like they’re basically held together by duct tape,” she adds.
This bill wouldn’t be the first of its kind. Parachute organizations in other countries have operated with SMS for a while, including groups in Australia and the U.K.
A 2023 report, “Recreational Skydiving—Really That Dangerous?” stated that out of 8,976 skydivers and 117,000 jumps, 204 or 2.3% athletes were treated for injuries and most were minor. Previous USPA reports have published reports that calculate out to about one injury per 1,800 skydivers.
Michael Knight, USPA director of government relations, says the goal should be to promote professionalism within the industry, which, in turn, should improve safety. The USPA is asking members of the aviation and skydiving community to contact elected representatives to voice objections to the legislation in order to help protect small businesses while also creating a SMS that works for everyone.
Source: https://outdoors.com/will-regulating-skydiving-ruin-it/
