Army suspends use of T-11 parachute

[Chiron]

The Army on Friday morning suspended all use of the new T-11 Advanced Tactical Parachute System. The announcement comes two weeks after the death of an 82nd Airborne paratrooper, the first fatality involving the new chute, and exactly one month after the Army placed safety restrictions on the T-11 after officials at the Pathfinder School at Fort Benning, Ga., questioned whether published wind drift offset factors were accurate.

Staff Sgt. Jamal Clay’s June 25 death at Fort Bragg, N.C., was due to a parachute malfunction and was unrelated to the previous restriction, officials said.

This latest restriction, outlined in All Army Action 251/2011, is due to “potential packing, inspection, quality control and functionality problems,” according to the message. The problems were uncovered during the investigation into Clay’s death. Investigators identified problems in the packing process. An inspection of 10 T-11 parachutes revealed tangled pack assist loops, improper corner arm folds, improperly stowed bridle, twists in the top of the canopy, and failed 14-pound pull tests of reserve chutes. “The observations are significant and pervasive enough to indicate potential systemic shortfalls,” the message said.

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