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Originally Posted by Sinister Dave
I read the safety investigation report. The findings said his old-style sun-wind-dust goggles probably either fogged or didn't allow him to see the ripcord based on their fit with the old bunny helmet, and he may have grabbed hose instead of ripcord.
FF2 calculation was wrong. FF2 was actually set to activate BELOW the DZ. Departure field was either Campbell or Bragg and the DZ was near Park City, UT.
We wrote corrective FF2 formula based on the fact that most all airports / air bases around the world can give you an altimeter setting but not an UNCORRECTED barometric pressure setting.
Sherm didn't or couldn't pull, for whatever reason, and his FF2 back-up wasn't set correctly to pull for him.
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Sherm was a Great Guy. We departed Ft Bragg (Pope) and had programmed SL and MFF jumps on the DZ. The Group of MFF JM,s calculated the jump at Pope, set FF2's/Rolled Alt's etc... and off we went. In route when we got close to the DZ a MFF JM went up in the cockpit and ran the weather with the Nav. The Nav told us that we were at ambient pressure (Not Pressurized) and a adjustment to Alt's was made by all Halo Jumpers. Went over the DZ for SL Pass (White Out conditions) on the ground. SL passes went and we started to climb. There was going to be one pass per team. Really long race tracks due to the DZ Location, weather and commercial AC in the Area. We Almost burned in also but we all at the last minute realized that we were coming up on the ground fast. Everyone pulled really low. It took some time to recover and find him. Sherm's pass was next and we were able to see the jumpers pass between the clouds. You could see him falling, falling and nothing. It was the longest time. We were still trying to get recovered and we all dropped everything and went to him. Bill G. was our JM on 574.
We never really knew why he did not pull (Pin problems/etc). He was a outstanding SF Soldier/JM and just a good person. I was right out of the MFF JM course and the Old Guys were doing all the work. After that I got a lot of experience and vowed to never let things like that happen to anyone with me.
I still think of that day at times...... It was a mixture of several highly experienced MFF JM's making small errors and to this Day no one knows why Sherm did not Pull.