Gatineau skydiving crash caused by problem with reserve chute, lack of training, report finds

A nine-month investigation into the cause of a near-fatal tandemskydiving crash inGatineauhas found that the reserve parachute deployed improperly, and that skydiving instructors don'treceiveenough training about how to preventuncontrolled landings.

• Tandem parachute mishap leaves 2 people seriously injured
• Instructor in tandem mishap, has nearly 900 jumps

A GO Skydiveinstructor with threeyears' experience and herclient were seriously injured in the crash on July 8, 2015 inGatineau, Que.

Witnesses spotted 22-year-oldCarolyneBretonand the 45-year-old customer strapped to herspiraling towards the ground using a reserve parachute. Bretonbroke her legs, and theclient, who had beenskydiving for his son's birthday,almost died. He was in life-threatening condition when paramedics rushed him to hospital.

The manwhose name has not been releasedand the instructorspent time recovering inhospital and were later transferred to a rehabilitation centre. Gatineaupolice saidthey werelucky to have survived.

Quebec workplace safety investigators found that Breton deployed the main parachute and let it go, triggering the reserve parachute to deploy automatically. But a problem with the deployment of thereserve chutesent the pair into a faster-than-normal spinning descent.

Breton tried to regain control but was unsuccessful, and the pair crashed onto the ground.

GO Skydive not facing fines or recommendations

Investigators did not see fit to lay fines or recommendations against GO Skydive, but they did find that the industry in general doesn't provide instructors withenough training on emergency measures to prevent uncontrolled landings in situations involving reserve chutes. At the news conference Monday, investigators called the lack of training an industry-wide problem.

In anemailedstatement, GO Skydive said the points raised in the final report "will be taken seriously in order to improve ... practices."

The company, which employs 19 people and has been in operation since 2006, will pay special attention to continuously training instructors on how to handle emergency situations.

"Although the exact cause of the accident of July 8, 2015 is unknown, GO Skydivewill pay particular attention to the continuous training of its instructors on how to react in unusualsituations under a reserve canopy and will continue to apply the highest industry standards interms of safety and maintenance of the equipment used," GO Skydive said.

"Skydiving is based on risk management and minimization of it in all circumstances. While it isimpossible to eliminate this risk completely, GO Skydive operates according to specificprocedures to ensure the best possible level of security for customers and employees."

First investigation of its kind

Today's report marksthe first time Quebec's workplace safety inspectors have investigated a skydiving company.

A spokesperson saidit tooklonger than usual an extra three months to complete the review.

Paramedics cut the parachute while rescuing the skydivers, making analysis difficult.

There also aren't many parachute experts who can analyze the equipment to determine what went wrong, so the inspectors turned to an expert with the Canadian Forces for help.

AGatineaupolice investigation found there was no criminal wrongdoing.

The near-deadly crash wasn't the company's first high-profile incident.GO Skydive also made headlines in 2011 when skydivers wereforced to jump out of a plane early and land on a highwayafter an engine failed. An experiencedskydiver was injured in 2012after practicing a high-speed landing.