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Airborne ops suspended after two paratrooper deaths
From: Army Times
The XVIII Airborne Corps has suspended all airborne operations following the deaths of two paratroopers in less than two weeks.
The Fort Bragg, North Carolina-based XVIII Airborne Corps on Thursday directed refresher training for all paratroopers and jumpmasters belonging to assigned or attached units, said Maj. Crystal Boring, a spokeswoman for the corps. This training must be completed before airborne operations can resume, she said.
This directive primarily affects the 82nd Airborne Division. It does not affect special operations units on Fort Bragg.
On Tuesday, Spc. Nicholas Roberts from the 82nd Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team died during a night tactical jump. The incident, which is still under investigation, occurred at Sicily Drop Zone on Fort Bragg.
Roberts, 27, was an infantryman assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
Pvt. Joshua Phillips, 19, from the 82nd Airborne's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, died April 16 during an airborne training exercise at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
Phillips was a combat engineer with Alpha Company, 37th Engineer Battalion. His death also is still under investigation.
The Army takes "a wide range of precautionary safety measures to mitigate the risks associated with airborne operations," but "accidents that occur during training can be devastating to the unit and families involved," Boring said.
And while exiting an aircraft while in flight "carries inherent risks," serious accidents are "extremely rare," Boring said.
Since March 2014, more than 63,000 individual jumps have safely taken place, with three fatalities, she said.
The training directed by the XVIII Airborne Corps will focus on proper static line control and aircraft exit procedures, Boring said. Paratroopers also will get additional training on maintaining control of the parachute during descent and keeping situational awareness of all nearby paratroopers during descent through landing.
All paratroopers and jumpmasters also will review video footage showing examples of both good and bad aircraft exits, Boring said.
Training for the jumpmasters will be conducted by the Advanced Airborne School. Jumpmasters will in turn train all paratroopers in their units, Boring said.
Battalion commanders will certify that the training took place before the unit can resume airborne operations, Boring said. As an additional safety precaution, all paratroopers will complete a daytime, combat equipment jump before they will be allowed to perform a nighttime combat equipment jump, Boring said.
"This training is a prudent precautionary measure taken as a result of recent airborne training incidents," she said.
http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/2015/04/30/army-xviii-airborne-corps-suspends-airborne-ops/26666617/
From: Army Times
The XVIII Airborne Corps has suspended all airborne operations following the deaths of two paratroopers in less than two weeks.
The Fort Bragg, North Carolina-based XVIII Airborne Corps on Thursday directed refresher training for all paratroopers and jumpmasters belonging to assigned or attached units, said Maj. Crystal Boring, a spokeswoman for the corps. This training must be completed before airborne operations can resume, she said.
This directive primarily affects the 82nd Airborne Division. It does not affect special operations units on Fort Bragg.
On Tuesday, Spc. Nicholas Roberts from the 82nd Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team died during a night tactical jump. The incident, which is still under investigation, occurred at Sicily Drop Zone on Fort Bragg.
Roberts, 27, was an infantryman assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
Pvt. Joshua Phillips, 19, from the 82nd Airborne's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, died April 16 during an airborne training exercise at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
Phillips was a combat engineer with Alpha Company, 37th Engineer Battalion. His death also is still under investigation.
The Army takes "a wide range of precautionary safety measures to mitigate the risks associated with airborne operations," but "accidents that occur during training can be devastating to the unit and families involved," Boring said.
And while exiting an aircraft while in flight "carries inherent risks," serious accidents are "extremely rare," Boring said.
Since March 2014, more than 63,000 individual jumps have safely taken place, with three fatalities, she said.
The training directed by the XVIII Airborne Corps will focus on proper static line control and aircraft exit procedures, Boring said. Paratroopers also will get additional training on maintaining control of the parachute during descent and keeping situational awareness of all nearby paratroopers during descent through landing.
All paratroopers and jumpmasters also will review video footage showing examples of both good and bad aircraft exits, Boring said.
Training for the jumpmasters will be conducted by the Advanced Airborne School. Jumpmasters will in turn train all paratroopers in their units, Boring said.
Battalion commanders will certify that the training took place before the unit can resume airborne operations, Boring said. As an additional safety precaution, all paratroopers will complete a daytime, combat equipment jump before they will be allowed to perform a nighttime combat equipment jump, Boring said.
"This training is a prudent precautionary measure taken as a result of recent airborne training incidents," she said.
http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/2015/04/30/army-xviii-airborne-corps-suspends-airborne-ops/26666617/
82nd ABN
Paratrooper
Fort Liberty
XVIII ABN Corps
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 9
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So basically everyone will attend BAR again, watch some videos of what to do and what not to do then we will send more paratroopers out to jump. Why not take an extra look at the chutes and riggers packing them? Maybe it's not always the jumpers fault...
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MSG (Join to see)
LOL. I would really like to go over numbers with you. but your questions have been raised before in the past. I would like to use the word ignored, but that would not be right at all. examined. yea, that would be the word. believe you me, we have "examined" the numbers problem. yup. no change. FYI, the T11 is a much more complex packing procedure. it takes a lot longer. but here is the constant. there is no going back. for alyssa, the t11 was introduced as a tactical parachute. 800ft with reserve, heck 400 without for combat, maybe it was less. I cant go over numbers here. but trust me, everything you are saying has been looked at and "examined". yup. that is my new favorite word.
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SGT (Join to see)
MSG Ibarra, I don't doubt all these factors have been examined time and time again. There's gotta be something that can be done to where we reduce the amount of soldiers we lose due to jumping this type of chute.
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MAJ (Join to see)
It's been four years, but I recall jump altitude with the T-11 (my one jump with that chute before I PCSed; last jump in Division) being 1000'. I could be wrong.
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SGT (Join to see)
MAJ Lange, you could very well be right. I haven't jumped the T11 in so long I can't recall the altitude.
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We received this information recently as well. They are now also stressing all jumps to be combat equipment and preferably under nighttime conditions.
While this is a terrible blow to the airborne community, I think its still not just limited to just the jumpers, riggers, and chutes. Many of these guys who are getting injured in the jumps are rushing doors, not trying/not able to exit properly, and (my biggest issue) jumping with too much equipment. I would hope leaders are stressing to their paratroopers how to pack their equipment properly and are cross loading equipment among the team/section/platoon (to include themselves) so mission essential equipment is spread out instead of two paratroopers carrying all the equipment while the others don't.
RIP Gentlemen, we'll see you again in the drop zone in the sky.
While this is a terrible blow to the airborne community, I think its still not just limited to just the jumpers, riggers, and chutes. Many of these guys who are getting injured in the jumps are rushing doors, not trying/not able to exit properly, and (my biggest issue) jumping with too much equipment. I would hope leaders are stressing to their paratroopers how to pack their equipment properly and are cross loading equipment among the team/section/platoon (to include themselves) so mission essential equipment is spread out instead of two paratroopers carrying all the equipment while the others don't.
RIP Gentlemen, we'll see you again in the drop zone in the sky.
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I was in during the 70's. We had a series of nasty injuries from a variety of causes, but the entire rigger unit was sacked. I remember understanding at the time why we had helmets, as we never knew whether a chute had been shaken out when it deployed, and rocks and branches might hit us in the head.
This is not to take away from the great jobs that they do. Just a throwback.
From a PR standpoint, I am not sure how you have more than 63,000 safe jumps that include three fatalities...I guess they all landed safely? Also, understanding airborne operations and the inherent risk, I wonder what qualifies as a safe jump - as I find it incredible that no adverse incidents occurring during that time frame. The numbers do not add up to this old CPA.
This is not to take away from the great jobs that they do. Just a throwback.
From a PR standpoint, I am not sure how you have more than 63,000 safe jumps that include three fatalities...I guess they all landed safely? Also, understanding airborne operations and the inherent risk, I wonder what qualifies as a safe jump - as I find it incredible that no adverse incidents occurring during that time frame. The numbers do not add up to this old CPA.
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