title: Are hook turns a major obstacle to safe skydiving? A study of skydiving fatalities in the United States from 1992 to 2005.
abstract: Landing errors account for most of the skydiving fatalities today in more experienced skydivers. The United States Parachute Association (USPA) states that this is due to a new generation of parachutes with higher wing loading. Using data on fatalities from 1992 to 2005 as reported by the USPA, hook turns were found to be a major cause of death but not significantly associated with higher wing loading. Fatalities caused by not having a functional parachute have decreased over the years, possibly due to introduction and widespread use of safety devices.
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, PA 17815, USA. mvidovic@bloomu.edu
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vidovic
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rugai
mesh_terms: D000060:Accidents, Aviation / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000401:mortality; D001359:Aviation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D002423:Cause of Death / Q000639:trends*; D019992:Databases as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D011482:Protective Devices / Q000639:trends; D013177:Sports / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology