Seat Belts? Yes, Please!

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Thursday, November 6, 2025

Above: Photo by Josh Reuck.

Many years ago, while visiting a drop zone I had never been to before, I boarded a jump plane and hooked in with a seat belt while the rest of the jumpers boarded and sat down. As the airplane started to taxi, it was obvious that the local jumpers did not commonly use seat belts. I asked the jumpers to belt in, arguing that if the airplane had a forced landing, they would be smashed into me during the sudden stop, and they didn’t have the right to increase my level of risk by not wearing one. All the while, the pilot had already taken off and the airplane was rapidly climbing through 2,000 feet. No luck. After the jump, I calmly brought up the issue to the drop zone management. 

Every skydive begins with a ride to altitude in an aircraft. Whether it’s  an airplane or a helicopter, we need some sort of flying machine to get to altitude. Those aircraft are made up of hundreds of moving parts and piloted by human beings. So, yes, the chance of a mechanical failure or human error leaves us vulnerable to the possibility of experiencing an aircraft emergency at some point in our skydiving careers. And although an aircraft emergency is a rare occurrence, it’s still something we need to plan for with every takeoff.

Skydiving’s Safety Evolution
The good news is that the skydiving industry has improved its aircraft safety record over the years. Since 1985, there have been 177 airplane accidents resulting in 194 fatalities. In the last 10 years, the industry experienced 54 accidents but only 27 fatalities, 11 of which came from one accident alone. During those past four decades, the skydiving industry has experienced huge growth: USPA membership increased from 15,150 in 1985 to more than 42,000 in 2024. That translates to a lot more skydives and aircraft loads flown in recent years. Despite the increased activity, the number of fatalities attributed to aircraft accidents has been decreasing.

It’s a safe bet that the widespread acceptance and greater use of seat belts in the past two decades has been a big factor in reducing the number of fatalities. Many of the forced aircraft landings in recent years involved larger jump planes and resulted in no fatalities because the jumpers were all wearing seat belts.

While widespread use of seat belts in the skydiving industry is commonplace now, it took a lot of painful lessons over the years to get there. Since 1971, seat belts have been a requirement for skydivers during the taxi, takeoff and landing phases of flight. But despite the Federal Aviation Administration requirement, drop zones were slow to adopt the rule.

Several fatal crashes in the 1980s and ‘90s involved large jump planes such as Beech 18s, Twin Otters and Cessna Caravans with none of the jumpers strapped in. Some of these planes were also overweight and loaded aft of the center of gravity. That’s a recipe for disaster, especially when an airplane loses power at a low altitude. When an airplane comes to a sudden stop and tosses unbelted jumpers violently through the cabin, they have almost no chance for survival. During the same timeframe, even more fatal accidents involved unbelted skydivers in smaller Cessna 182s and 206s since these smaller planes were in the most widespread use for skydiving across the country. The smaller cabin size did not offer any greater protection against violent conditions during forced landings. Over the years, the National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration and USPA continued to remind aircraft operators and skydivers about seat-belt requirements.

What Seat-Belt Testing Tells Us
So, what’s a skydiver to do? It’s obvious that wearing a seat belt is your safest option in the event of a forced landing. But research also shows that how you wear your seat belt makes a big difference in the outcome. In 1998, USPA, the Parachute Industry Association and the FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI) conducted testing on jump-plane seat-belt effectiveness. The sled testing, conducted at the CAMI research center in Oklahoma City, utilized an anthropomorphic test dummy wearing several different harnesses and containers with various loads and restraint configurations.  The testing revealed how a skydiver sitting on the floor of an airplane moved during 5G and 9G loads using both standard two-piece lap belts and single-point-style (Hooker brand) restraints. The testing was rigged to simulate a Twin Otter with carpeted floor seating and the jumper facing the rear of the airplane (which was common at the time of testing).

The results revealed that two single-point seat belts attached at each side of the jumper high on the main lift-web and lateral junction of the parachute harness provided the most security. However, they recognized that it is not practical for every skydiver to be restrained on both sides of the harness. The next-most-effective restraint was one single-point seat belt attached high on the harness and wrapped around the lower lateral and main lift-web. That type of restraint is common in many jump planes now. The aircraft attachment point for the restraint needs to be as far aft as possible with no slack in the restraint once it is fastened, which prevents bodies from moving forward when an airplane stops abruptly during a forced landing. Tightly restrained  jumpers won’t build momentum, a leading factor in injuries.

The testing also found that a lap belt draped across the thighs of a rearward-facing jumper allowed for the greatest movement and was the least-effective configuration for restraining movement in a sudden stop. Tandem instructors should also take note that each tandem student should be secured with their own seat belt. Attaching the student harness to the instructor harness for the takeoff does not meet the FAA regulations and in actual forced landings it has proven to cause greater injuries to the tandem instructor than when tandem students are restrained with their own seat belts. The report on seat belt testing is available at tinyurl.com/faaseatbelts.

Preparing for the Unexpected
All aircraft have established procedures for emergency landings. Jump pilots should review those procedures frequently and practice landings with a variety of power settings to become proficient with landing accurately in a variety of conditions. When the engine quits, the pitch required to maintain best-glide speed will be different than normal. So, familiarity with different pitch settings to maintain the correct airspeed while landing accurately will only help during an emergency. 

Another hazard to skydivers during a forced landing is any loose item in the cabin. Unrestrained helmets and cameras become dangerous projectiles when an airplane comes to a sudden stop. So, before the takeoff roll begins, put your helmet on your head and fasten the chin strap. Secure any cameras or other loose objects so they won’t become projectiles. An airplane emergency at low altitude will not provide you with enough time to deal with trying to secure any loose items before the plane reaches the ground. You should spend that time tightening your seat belt and preparing for a hard landing.

Regardless of whether you are riding to altitude in a Cessna 182 with three other jumpers or a Twin Otter with 22, seat belts worn properly are your greatest defense in the event of a forced landing. It only makes sense to wear them.  

The jump plane at the drop zone I mentioned at the beginning of this article crashed a year later, after stalling on departure. Thankfully, by then, seat belts were being enforced, and everyone was belted in place. The injuries were mostly minor.

About The Author

Jim Crouch, D-16979, was the Director of Safety and Training from 2000-2018. He has thousands of hours of experience flying skydivers and now happily flies other people’s airplanes for aerial survey projects.