I personally take a pinch of salt with anything that the mainstream journos cobbled together on day one, but the Herald have since amended their 4000ft reports to say:
QUOTE
All were forced to abandon the plane at 2000ft, before it crashed in to the lake near Rotongaio Bay shortly before midday yesterday.[/quote]
QUOTE
He said the major risk had been the low altitude -- parachutes were usually opened at 5000ft, but as the plane plummeted towards the lake, the group had no choice but to jump from less than 2000ft.[/quote]
Looking at the crash site, its about 3 miles off the end of runway 17, which I'm proposing may have been the active with a bit of a pesudo-sea breeze blowing off the lake. 2000ft AGL at the location (bearing mind NZAP is already 1300ft AMSL) sounds plausible for a loaded P750 going in that direction.
Tandems usually open at 5000 and take a few seconds to fully inflate. The lowest I ever threw a sport jumper out was around 2200 from memory, they had thousands of jumps logged and told me afterwards that they were bricking it from that low! For all on board to escape injury having exited at that height really surprised me, particularly the PIC who had zero jumps himself and was fresh on the Pac! It'll be highly interesting to hear the cause of engine stoppage once the reports get released.

Posted:
Fri Jan 09, 2015 9:15 am
by Ian Warren
Thanks Andy for the extra info, I was thinking more about how the pilot got out ... love to hear the stories as well from the ones in tandem - the customers .. they have kept that side very quiet at the mo as well.

Posted:
Fri Jan 09, 2015 9:26 am
by jpreou
OK, as a pilot and 20 year skydiver (instructor and tandem), time for my 2c.
Yes 2000ft is low for a tandem. But, it is quite normal for a sport jumper, except here in NZ where everyone is scared of low altitude. In the UK 2000ft was normal and only when faster parachutes become the norm did people start deploying earlier. The legal limit for an open parachute was 2000ft for an awful long time, and I have personally left an aircraft at a lot lower than that.
I too am uncertain why the pilot got out and I'd like to hear his story; after all *all* pilots, without exception, are taught forced landings after engine failure; the only two reasons I can think of are structural failure or some other issue that renders the a/c uncontrollable, or fire. Otherwise, why not follow the training you receive in *every* a/c type conversion you do and land that sucker; yes, even in the lake (anyone recall the Cherokee in Raglan recently?).
I won't believe anything the media say and I will sooner or later get the story from my colleagues in the skydiving community. Hell the media and eye witnesses can't agree on anything. Was it 4000ft or 2000ft? Did the skydivers land in the water or on the land; not really a contestable fact, and yet there are conflicting reports even there.
I think the guys did a great job and since the outcome was all safe then it was a good outcome. I do wonder what would be said if the a/c "went the other way" after the pilot left and ploughed itself into holiday makers though....

Posted:
Fri Jan 09, 2015 9:40 am
by chopper_nut
jpreou wrote:I do wonder what would be said if the a/c "went the other way" after the pilot left and ploughed itself into holiday makers though....
I did think that myself.