An unusual airplane crash--deadly life saver. Unintentional activation of an automated reserve opening device causing airplane accident.
A Pilatus PC 6 "Turbo-Porter" crashed after having dropped skydivers. The interdisciplinary investigation of the crash revealed that the automated reserve opening device "Student-CYPRES" which the passenger wore on his parachute system had been set off during the landing approach. The parachute pulled the passenger out of the airplane. Subsequently the parachute got caught at the horizontal tail, and its wearer was instantly killed by internal decapitation. The airplane crashed because of its damaged horizontal tail, and the pilot lost his life.
Lasczkowski
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Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Giessen, Frankfurter Str. 58, D-35392, Germany. gabriele.lasczkowski@forens.med.uni-giessen.de
Hasenfuss
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S
Verhoff
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M
Weiler
G
G
D000060:Accidents, Aviation; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000209:etiology*; D004868:Equipment Failure; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male