JohnBurke

Wearing the parachute isn't required when dropping jumpers (it used to be, for some aircraft), and depending on the aircraft, often isn't possible, due to the seating configuration. I've flown jumpers on and off for thirty years, as well as been a jumper myself for about 35, and have flown jumpers at a dozen or so different drop zones over the years, and a lot of different aircraft types. Sometimes I wore a pilot rig (thinner, more compact parachute; single parachute packpack or seat rig), but sometimes not. As noted, any escaped material, pilot chute, etc, from inside an aircraft can quickly turn fatal. My personal preference in jump operations when piloting is to have a parachute with loose leg straps; tighten on the way out or on the way down (anyone who has jumped with loose leg straps understands, at the moment of opening, why they're a bad idea).

I don't speculate, and won't, as to why this individual was separated from the aircraft. The possibilities are endless. The airplane has a big, open hole in the back; the tailgate, which opens and closes hydraulically. It's a big open square tube with seats along the sides, but nothing to grab on the way out the back if the aircraft were to be maneuvered suddenly or one were to lose one's balance and fall. Personally, I would never be out of the pilot seat in there with a door open, and no parachute. Clearly a door was open, else the subject couldn't have left the aircraft. Low-time, inexperienced guy in his first job outside instructing, right seat. Most low time guys who are gaining experience flying jumpers, aren't jumpers, haven't jumped, have never done more than wear a parachute, and don't really have a full understanding of the parachute, it's use, or what to do with it once out of the aircraft, and may have a reluctance to jump (normal, especially if one has never jumped). Again, I won't speculate on this individuals experience with jumping or parachutes, but he was low time and low experience.

Rampart is well known in the jump world. They do a lot of military training, and civil flying of jumpers. I won't comment on Rampart, other than to say they do a lot of flying, in and out of jumping, and a lot of civil and government work.

Regarding whether one should be outside the aircraft inspecting gear, a harness and tether would be preferable to a parachute, but again, the reasons and why's and what happened will come forth shortly; speculation is unprofessional. One doesn't count on an AAD for deployment...not sure why that would come up at all. So far as an AAD; there isn't an altitude below which it won't operate. The AAD requires a minimum altitude AND a predetermined rate of descent to activate. No one jumps with the idea of allowing the AAD to do the deployment, however, with the exception of experimental and test deployments; when the AAD does operate, it doesn't deploy any faster than the jumper operating a reserve ripcord, because it does the same function. It cuts the closing loop for the container and releases the same pilot chute that the jumper would release with the ripcord; the ripcord is what's through that closing loop that gets cut by the AAD (Cypress, etc). Reserve deployment will be faster and more reliable than main deployment on a tandem/piggyback rig, given variables with pilot chute operation, body positioning, etc, while the reserve uses a spring-loaded pilot chute to get the pilot chute into a free airstream, away from the jumper. Not really an issue here, given that the subject pilot is reported to have worn no parachute.

Ground personnel at the aircraft on the ground in RDU did report back to their dispatch that the other pilot had "jumped with no parachute." Whether that came from the pilot or was their summation based on what they'd heard, is not clear.