CHAPTER 34 A RECORD WE DID NOT WANT - THE LOWEST RECORDED STATIC LINE OPERATIONAL DROP

 Despite our excellent safety record and our very low injury rate, jumping from aeroplanes was a dangerous occupation and did, from time to time, result in injury, or even death.

Not all the records we set were deliberate. For example, the lowest drop ever done, using T10/Saviac Type parachutes, was by Rhodesian African Rifles at a shockingly low 168ft AGL. At this height, the parachutes would have opened only moments before landing.

Claims that a static line parachute will fall 250ft before opening are correct, but only if jumped from a balloon, cliff or building without slipstream to help deployment. When jumping from the Dakota, the pilots were told to fly at 95kts or faster, so the slipstream created could help blow the parachutes open. This reduced the actual drop from 250ft to approximately 100ft. It was because of this lucky fact that the casualties were not higher in the following incident.

This map shows the area just South of the mining town of Bindura where the lowest parachute drop took place during the terrorist bush war in Rhodesia. A stick of 16 Rhodesian African Rifles soldiers was dropped at 168ft AGL which resulted in two men breaking legs on landing and a number of others sustaining minor injuries. Unfortunately one of the soldiers who broke his leg died 3 days later after suffering an embolus. A sad day for all at the PTS and #3 Squadron.

This particular drop was an operational Fireforce drop with a stick of 16 in the OP Hurricane area of operations near Bindura mining town. Unsurprisingly, there were casualties; two men broke legs and, tragically, one of these died of an embolus a few days later. The remainder were very lucky to escape with only minor injuries.

In this instance, the second pilot was on his first deployment, and still learning the skills of dropping paratroops onto bush DZs. Through inexperience he made a fatal error when setting QFE on the altimeter. In war times, our training was sometimes conducted on the job, in a dangerous and tense setting. Unfortunately for the second pilot, and for the man who subsequently died, this was one of those occasions.  

As always, we were determined to learn from mistakes and Air Force HQ immediately instigated a board of inquiry. Capt Paul Simmons of the SAS and I, were the two officers appointed to investigate, work out what happened and how to avoid similar mistakes in future. After this all PJIs were instructed to look out of the door on all drop runs to visually check the height AGL. Also, as always happens after such a tragedy, all Dakota aircraft operated by 3 Sqn, were fitted with radar altimeters to guarantee accurate drop heights.

 Many, from various units in the Rhodesian conflict, stake claim to the lowest drop. However, there is no doubt this incident was it – it was not a record we planned to set, and certainly not one we ever endeavoured to break.