Corruption, faulty cable blamed for death of Thai police parachutists

[webfact]

Corruption, Faulty Cable Blamed For Death of Police Parachutists
By Khaosod English


Police investigate the faulty sling in March 2014 [Photo: Matichon].

BANGKOK — Police have charged 11 people for manslaughter over the death of two police cadets whose parachutes failed to open because of faulty cable during a training exercise.

Chayakorn Puttichaiyong, 19, and Nattawut Tirasuwansuk, 21, were among those who jumped out of the plane over Cha Am district, Petchburi province, for a parachute training session on 31 March.

The plane cable failed to open the parachutes carried by the cadets, forcing them to resort to the emergency parachute set. However, Mr. Chayakorn and Mr. Nattawut could not open their spare parachute in time and plunged to their deaths.

Today police concluded that the cable used in the training session was a low-quality sling that had been substituted for the standard equipment.

The police's equipment supplier, Thai Aviation Industries Ltd, chose to use 9,300-baht parachute slings made by Thai manufacturers instead of the standard, foreign-made 99,000-baht parachute cables, said Pol.Maj.Gen. Charampon Suramanee, assistant to the chief of Thai police.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1411562370&typecate=06&section=


-- Khaosod English 2014-09-25

[FireMedic]

Money before safety...

Edited September 24, 2014 by metisdead
Image of an Anti-Thai intent has been removed.

[robertthebruce]

A

Poor guys......

R.I.P.

[smileplur]

That is a serious price gap. I wonder if the figures are misquoted. I don't understand how such a large price difference could exist. Then again, two people are dead because of the inferiority of the cheaper products. It doesn't matter where they are made. When it comes to an activity like jumping out of an airplane, you don't let price be a major contributing factor in the decision making process for sourcing materials. Otherwise, catastrophic things like this can happen. That is blindingly obvious to virtually everyone with the slightest bit of common sense. RIP. May there be swift justice, if possible, for those involved in this tragedy.

[ezzra]

Putting the cable issue aside for now, why have they failed to deploy their reserve chute?

from someone who has few jumps under his belt, either they were dropped from to low, or

they have hesitated to long before they pulled the reserve cord, either way, theses issues

should be revisited urgently...

[worgeordie]

A 9,000 THB Thai made cable,but but paid 99,000 THB ?

regards Worgeordie

[ABCer]

IMHO Police Cadets are not trained in low altitude jumps. This is a very risky op requiring special training, top physical condition and high skills.

Used only by Specia Forces.

But I may be wrong. May be these guys were?

On the other hand, 100,000 bt sling? You mean 90,000 bt pocket money if substituted? Sure!

I have recently brought from Aus the Dyneema 6mm rope for a boat. High tech stuff. Its tensile strength is higher than steel. Cost $4/m.

Edited September 25, 2014 by ABCer

[RKASA]

Best solution is to have police issue traffic tickets and stay out of planes with parachute or not. Leave the parachute drill to army personnel of the airborne command. Why does every police officer have to have a merit badge for jumping out of a plane? I am sure it is great fun and cool but whom pays for this drill and why?

[Balance]

That is a serious price gap. I wonder if the figures are misquoted. I don't understand how such a large price difference could exist. Then again, two people are dead because of the inferiority of the cheaper products. It doesn't matter where they are made. When it comes to an activity like jumping out of an airplane, you don't let price be a major contributing factor in the decision making process for sourcing materials. Otherwise, catastrophic things like this can happen. That is blindingly obvious to virtually everyone with the slightest bit of common sense. RIP. May there be swift justice, if possible, for those involved in this tragedy.

The point is what was ordered, what was paid, and what slime bags pocketed the difference. When they find them they should be thrown out of a plane using the crap cable.

[alfalfa19]

Incredible, and tragic, but sadly, not surprising.

[mike324]

That is a serious price gap. I wonder if the figures are misquoted. I don't understand how such a large price difference could exist. Then again, two people are dead because of the inferiority of the cheaper products. It doesn't matter where they are made. When it comes to an activity like jumping out of an airplane, you don't let price be a major contributing factor in the decision making process for sourcing materials. Otherwise, catastrophic things like this can happen. That is blindingly obvious to virtually everyone with the slightest bit of common sense. RIP. May there be swift justice, if possible, for those involved in this tragedy.

I don't think its misquoted, you bring the same type of parachute sling to an oem manufacturer, they will say yes we can make something "similar". It is indeed similar in appearance but not to the strength and spec of the foreign sling. Most likely the local manufacturer don't even specialize in parachute slings as well.

[Jumper]

Putting the cable issue aside for now, why have they failed to deploy their reserve chute?

from someone who has few jumps under his belt, either they were dropped from to low, or

they have hesitated to long before they pulled the reserve cord, either way, theses issues

should be revisited urgently...

I was also a skydiver for several years (never jumped in the military).

In my days of civilian jumping, the minimum opening altitude was 3,000 AGL. I believe military jumps involve much lower opening altitudes.

3,500 feet would be the typical altitude for a civilian static line jump because people jumping with static lines were almost exclusively newbies. Not only was the altitude a bit higher for newbies, but there was an instructor watching carefully from the aircraft with the static line passing through his hands. If he saw anything untoward, he would grab the static line causing an early opening. Admittedly that may not have helped here if the problem was really the static line itself, but there are also other factors that might come into play.

Pretty typically first time jumpers are completely overwhelmed by the experience, and are not going to be much good at emergency procedures.

Next, when deploying your reserve canopy you must first release your main so the two do not get tangled. The release mechanism used could be a factor here. The old style release mechanisms required that you open two aluminum "caps" (one on each shoulder) by flipping them up with your thumbs, then getting your thumbs into two small rings and pulling hard. This was difficult to execute properly, especially if there was any level of panic involved, and all jumpers I knew who used this mechanism (including me in my early jumping days) drilled this process until it was automatic.

A much easier to use release mechanism (called a 3 ring circus in my day) was introduced maybe 30 years ago that only required the jumper to grab and pull a small bean bag on his harness.

In this case, the malfunction was total, so that a release of the main was not really necessary, but you would normally go through the whole process because that was what you were trained and drilled to do.

[seajae]

is anyone at all surprised that those in charge bought cheap cables instead of the ones they were supposed to and pocketed the difference. These people should be given death sentences and have their families wealth removed and given to the families of the dead men, thai authorities really need to start clamping down on this sort of thing if they want to eradicate it. Until such times that they actually bring in severe punishment for all of these corrupt practices it will just continue due to the pathetic fines/punishment now given.

[SOTIRIOS]

....either it was tampered with....or faulty......it cannot be both.....'switched or replaced' with a lesser grade would imply the first....

[Tywais]

A 9,000 THB Thai made cable,but but paid 99,000 THB ?

regards Worgeordie

9,000 for the cable, 90,000 for the pocket.

[jaapfries]

Putting the cable issue aside for now, why have they failed to deploy their reserve chute?

from someone who has few jumps under his belt, either they were dropped from to low, or

they have hesitated to long before they pulled the reserve cord, either way, theses issues

should be revisited urgently...

I was also a skydiver for several years (never jumped in the military).

In my days of civilian jumping, the minimum opening altitude was 3,000 AGL. I believe military jumps involve much lower opening altitudes.

3,500 feet would be the typical altitude for a civilian static line jump because people jumping with static lines were almost exclusively newbies. Not only was the altitude a bit higher for newbies, but there was an instructor watching carefully from the aircraft with the static line passing through his hands. If he saw anything untoward, he would grab the static line causing an early opening. Admittedly that may not have helped here if the problem was really the static line itself, but there are also other factors that might come into play.

Pretty typically first time jumpers are completely overwhelmed by the experience, and are not going to be much good at emergency procedures.

Next, when deploying your reserve canopy you must first release your main so the two do not get tangled. The release mechanism used could be a factor here. The old style release mechanisms required that you open two aluminum "caps" (one on each shoulder) by flipping them up with your thumbs, then getting your thumbs into two small rings and pulling hard. This was difficult to execute properly, especially if there was any level of panic involved, and all jumpers I knew who used this mechanism (including me in my early jumping days) drilled this process until it was automatic.

A much easier to use release mechanism (called a 3 ring circus in my day) was introduced maybe 30 years ago that only required the jumper to grab and pull a small bean bag on his harness.

In this case, the malfunction was total, so that a release of the main was not really necessary, but you would normally go through the whole process because that was what you were trained and drilled to do.

@Jumper: yes; I agree with you 100%. As it happens, I also made my 8 jumps,while in the Army - in order to get 1/2 a chute on my uniform, basically only to impress the girls, at the time, I must admit.

In any event; following proper procedures has only everything to do with training-drills, as you so rightly stated. I fear that there may have been a gross neglect of this "drill-'till-you-can-dream-it' discipline.

I certainly remember my first jump very well; I was petrified and needed a good kick in the lower back from my jump-sergeant - the rip-cord did the rest. IF, however, my chute would NOT have opened (on the count) I certainly would have been trained enough to pull the reserve.

I feel sorry for these guys - but I'm afraid the brass is to be blamed for (1) faulty equipment & (2) Lackadaisical training.

[davidill]

R.I.P. to the men and condolences to their respective families. I have spent many years of my life involved in the inspection of lifting equipment./ slings. With all the available different qualities of wire rope yes there could be such a large difference in the price. The sling should have been supplied with documentation to trace the wire rope back to the origin of the material. Also a set of documents of the proof of the integrity of the manufactured sling. QHSE ??????. They should have the wire rope sent for a destruction test at a certified test facility to confirm the tensile strength of the wire rope. The wire rope is maybe OK as the break seems to be at the termination.

[Benmart]

Best solution is to have police issue traffic tickets and stay out of planes with parachute or not. Leave the parachute drill to army personnel of the airborne command. Why does every police officer have to have a merit badge for jumping out of a plane? I am sure it is great fun and cool but whom pays for this drill and why?

The best solution for me is to let those in charge decide who does what and who pays for what.

As for the "Good Housekeeping Medals and Badges" that seem so prevalent. One Old Sergeant told me years ago "Son, it ain't the trinkets on the uniform that make the man. You can buy em' at any store".

[cooked]

There were suggestions at the time that the guy that was killed had ratted on one of his superiors shortly before the jump. Whichever way you look at it, this is a despicable story.

[LuckyLew]

faulty brakes .... faulty cables .. same same ... when will a Thai person ever accept responsibility? 555

[bluebluewater]

Best solution is to have police issue traffic tickets and stay out of planes with parachute or not. Leave the parachute drill to army personnel of the airborne command. Why does every police officer have to have a merit badge for jumping out of a plane? I am sure it is great fun and cool but whom pays for this drill and why?

99% of these guys have never jumped out of a plane under a deployed canopy. Probably 90% have never been in a plane of any kind. Maybe in a few parts of Thailand where there is jump school present the numbers might be higher but in the rest of the country that is not the case.

Those "jump wings" that all the BIB have are just for show.

When I served one of the sayings was "You gotta have a pair to get a pair".

[jaywalker]

Sadly, this doesn't surprise me. R.I.P. to the poor kids.

I could go on & on about cheap stuff & corner-cutting in Thailand, but I won't.

But.....WHY are police cops jumping out of airplanes?????

Paratroopers are for the Army.

[Strangebrew]

I think the person who bought the cable and thought it was good should make several jumps on it himself.

[12DrinkMore]

faulty brakes .... faulty cables .. same same ... when will a Thai person ever accept responsibility? 555

Actually in this case they have.

They have admitted that the expensive foreign made equipment had been substituted by cheap Thai produce.

[Jumper]

The article says two people were killed. Did they keep jumping after the first failure?

[Crazy chef 1]

faulty brakes .... faulty cables .. same same ... when will a Thai person ever accept responsibility? 555

on the same day the pope openly admits he is using the service of hookers...

[Time Traveller]

That is a serious price gap. I wonder if the figures are misquoted. I don't understand how such a large price difference could exist. Then again, two people are dead because of the inferiority of the cheaper products. It doesn't matter where they are made. When it comes to an activity like jumping out of an airplane, you don't let price be a major contributing factor in the decision making process for sourcing materials. Otherwise, catastrophic things like this can happen. That is blindingly obvious to virtually everyone with the slightest bit of common sense. RIP. May there be swift justice, if possible, for those involved in this tragedy.

Comparing prices is pointless. One product is designed for parachutes and the other was not.

[luckyman]

Best solution is to have police issue traffic tickets and stay out of planes with parachute or not. Leave the parachute drill to army personnel of the airborne command. Why does every police officer have to have a merit badge for jumping out of a plane? I am sure it is great fun and cool but whom pays for this drill and why?

These guys are not just plain police, let alone they are traffick police.

I live less than 1 km from that base called Palam 6, it is a base with 4.000 specially trained police that do not answer to the Army.

These guys do mostly clandestine special ops along or behind enemy borders catching smugglers, poachers etc. and are generally fearless and very tough m-f's.

They are under direct command of the King as well as of the PM.

I have seen them doing early morning jumps almost daily for 7 years now, mostly during the dry and hot seasons and always wondered when the first accident would happen as they do jump out of the small planes at very low altitude.

Edited September 25, 2014 by luckyman

[Thai at Heart]

Why do police do parachute training anyway?

[SPB65]

I'm sure evidence will come to light that it was either a Burmese or western cable. Thai cables would never do this.