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The Swedish Accident Investigation Board presents a final report
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Fanny Jokiaho, 26, and the deaths of eight other people in the Umeå plane crash could have been prevented. This is demonstrated by the investigation of the Swedish Accident Investigation Board.
The plane was heavy from behind and the safety routines for the paratroopers were poor.
– It was like the end of the world, says Julia Jokiaho, whose sister died in the accident.
On July 14, 2019, a GippsAero TC320 Airvan aircraft crashed on the island of Storsandskär in the middle of the river Ume. Several individuals witnessed how the plane, which was turning sharply, fell through the air and dropped a wing. On board were a pilot and eight paratroopers. Nobody survived.
Today, the Accident Investigation Board publishes its final report.
The authority claims that there were no technical failures behind the accident but that the plane was overloaded and heavy from behind.
The pilot had difficulty assessing overweight as he did not receive information on the weight of the jumpers before the flight.
The flight was hampered by clouds and had to wait hopefully due to the rest of the air traffic. The pilot rose to a higher altitude to avoid clouds and the Accident Investigation Board does not rule out that he had a lower work capacity due to low oxygen levels.
Photo: Private
Fanny Jokiaho, 26, was one of the paratroopers who died in the crash outside Umeå in July 2019.
Before the jump, the load, in this case the eight paratroopers and their team, had been placed too far back, making the plane unstable and difficult to maneuver.
According to the Accident Investigation Board, it is when they move toward the jump that the pilot loses control of the plane.
The fact that the paratroopers were not tied up reinforced the instability of the plane.
About 30 seconds before the planned parachute jump, the plane became so unstable that it took off. Then it turned to the left and started crashing.
The authority believes that the lack of regulations on flights for skydiving in combination with too low training requirements for pilots is behind the accident.
– Me and the rest of us in the family group are extremely critical of the fact that skydiving was done without clear safety rules. Despite a similar accident in Finland in 2014, neither the authorities nor the skydiving clubs reacted, says Julia Jokiaho.
Photo: TT NYHETSBYRÅN
The Accident Investigation Board has not been able to determine exactly why the paratroopers positioned themselves in such a way that the plane became unstable. But it is claimed that there are eyewitness statements and pictures from previous flights of the jumpers sitting on the plane’s luggage rack.
He remembers exactly the day his older sister Fanny Jokiaho died. In the middle of the day, she had received a news alert on her mobile phone about a crashed plane, but she did not care. But one phone call changed everything.
– It was like the end of the world. It is beyond everything, you become completely empty, says Julia.
She says that Fanny was happy with her new interest, skydiving, but also a bit hesitant because of the risks.
– I was a little afraid of flying. Then it happened that she called us at home before parachuting to find out from us if we thought she was okay.
The family used to calm her down and tell her that it should be okay. Skydiving in Sweden and there are certainly careful safety routines here.
“Unfortunately, the report from the Accident Investigation Board does not show that,” says Julia Jokiaho.
Photo: Private
Fanny Jokiaho with her younger sister Julia Jokiaho. “It is difficult to learn to live with the idea that we should not grow up together,” says Julia Jokiaho.
Alarms when the plane is unstable
The day of the accident, the same plane had already made two lifts with paratroopers.
Then the so-called stable warning had howled several times when the plane was in the air. It sounds when the lift is less than the mass of the plane.
– It’s very serious when he howls. So you might think it’s strange that the chief pilot lets them go on a third flight. It’s completely incomprehensible, says Julia.
The report of the Accident Investigation Board establishes that about 12 seconds elapse from the moment the pilot loses control of the plane until the accident.
When the plane falls uncontrollably, all the spare parachutes inside the plane are activated, but none of the eight on board managed to make an emergency jump.
Julia Jokiaho is haunted by what her sister went through during the chaotic seconds.
– That’s the worst. What about the 12 seconds? Have you had time to think and got scared? says Julia and cries.
Julia and her family are now demanding that the Swedish Transport Agency introduce a supervisory safety inspection when parachuting. That responsibility cannot rest entirely with the union and individual aviation clubs, Julia believes.
– I and other relatives do not understand that the clubs and the association did not have an impression of the accident in Finland in 2014. There was also a similar accident in Poland. If they had learned from them, this would never have happened.
The Accident Investigation Board now wants EASA, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, to introduce formal training for pilots flying by paratrooper. It also wants EASA to review loading instructions when certifying aircraft for parachute operations.
The authority also wants the Swedish Transport Agency to introduce loading instructions for skydiving and make sure licensed skydivers are aware of the effect when moving in a plane.
Aftonbladet has applied for the Umeå Flying Club and the Swedish Parachute Association. Their representatives say they should read the report before leaving a comment.
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