Auckland skydiving tragedy: New evidence sparks calls for CAA to reopen investigation into fatal accident

Jack Creane, 27, died in a solo skydiving jump in 2019 shortly after graduating from the New Zealand Skydiving School. Photo / Supplied

The aviation watchdog is assessing newly obtained evidence connected to the 2019 skydiving death of Irish tourist Jack Creane.

The evidence suggests a former staff member may have given the 27-year-old victim a smaller and more high-performance parachute than he intended before the fatal jump at Skydive Auckland's Parakai base.

However, the drop zone operator is standing by its processes. It is adamant Creane's equipment was properly checked before the jump and that he knew exactly what size canopy he was using.

The Weekend Herald can reveal that the staff member at the centre of the new evidence was later appointed to a senior skydiving role, despite having been censured for "cavalier" behaviour in connection with an earlier fatal skydiving accident overseas.

The man, whom the Herald has chosen not to name, told the Herald he was one of a number of people distributing parachutes on the day Creane died and was only following instructions.

He stressed that he was not responsible for knowing what canopy Creane was using that day or assessing his level of ability.

Irish national Jack Creane, 27, died in a skydiving incident near Parakai in 2019 soon after graduating from the New Zealand Skydiving School. Photo / Supplied

Speaking from Ireland, Creane's sister Abby said she was shocked by the new allegations and concerned they had taken more than three years to emerge.

The new evidence raised questions in her mind about safety, whether her brother knew what size canopy he was using on his final jump and whether this contributed to his death.

She called on the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to reopen its investigation.

"He was my brother and I deserve to know what happened."

The new evidence, presented to CAA investigators in July, is a Facebook messenger conversation between the staff member and a colleague days after Creane's death.

It suggests the man provided Creane with a friend's parachute but mistakenly thought it was a larger canopy than the Saphire3 129 (129sq foot) that Creane was using when he died.

The man allegedly wrote: "He was on a Safire3 139."

His next message reads: "Yo [redacted] just checked and said 129."

This represents a reduction in canopy size of 10sq foot.

Experts told the Herald this is significant because smaller canopies allow pilots greater speed and performance, but less recovery time should things go wrong.

Irishman Jack Creane pictured with his sister, Abby, before he travelled to New Zealand to study skydiving. Photo / Supplied

The colleague messaged back to clarify whether the man had given Creane a canopy without knowing its actual size.

The man replies: "I did".

Speaking to the Herald, the man said he was at Parakai that day as a "fun jumper", not a staff member.

He said he was asked by an Icarus Canopies representative to get a parachute from a female jumper and give it to someone else.

"So I did that."

He said he believed at the time the parachute was a 139sq foot canopy, and that it was the same size chute Creane had been jumping with that day.

"The canopy he was on before, I believe was the same size. It was just an earlier model. That's what I was led to believe."

The man said it was not his responsibility to know what canopy Creane was using. That responsibility was Creane's, as a licensed sports skydiver.

It was also the drop zone operator's responsibility "to check whether they're on the correct gear".

He added that the screenshot provided to the CAA was only a fragment of a longer series of messages, which needed to be read in context.

Skydive Auckland CEO and director Tony Green says there is a "one-in-a-million chance of death" from parachuting. Photo / Supplied

Skydive Auckland and NZ Skydiving School (NZSS) joint director Tony Green said regardless of how equipment was acquired, certified sport skydivers were responsible for having equipment checked and approved through Skydive Auckland's processes, before use.

Green said Creane's equipment was checked and approved. Creane was also aware of the canopy size he was jumping on, which was recorded in his log book, Green said.

"The CAA and NZPIA (New Zealand Parachute Industry Association) both conducted investigations into the accident and were provided with all the information and facts."

Green said due consideration was given to the overseas fatality before the man was hired at Parakai.

After receiving the new evidence, CAA Investigation and Response Safety Team leader Dan Foley wrote back to the informant on August 2 asking for further information about Creane's training "or his knowledge of the canopy size he flew that day".

The CAA told the Herald it was assessing the new information and working to determine its "validity".

"Our investigations team follow a robust and thorough process.

"The additional information that has been provided has been noted by the investigators and will be factored into their work.

"Findings of the investigation will not be released until it is complete and relatives have been consulted."

Jack Creane, 27, died in a solo skydiving jump in 2019 shortly after graduating from the New Zealand Skydiving School. Photo / Supplied

Creane, who had just graduated from the NZSS at the time of the accident, hit the ground at speed after attempting a dangerous low-altitude turn during a solo jump on March 15, 2019.

He was airlifted to Auckland City Hospital and died the following day.

A CAA investigation report released a year later found he made no attempt to "flare", or slow down, before impact, nor did he adopt the emergency landing position before striking the ground.

The report found Creane - who had completed about 260 jumps including nine on the canopy size he was flying on his final descent - was correctly qualified, with no previous record of parachute handling incidents. It made no reference to any issues with his equipment on the day he died.

Creane's death was the first of three fatal accidents involving recent graduates from the NZSS in as many years.

The CAA launched an investigation into the skydiving sector this year because of "concerning trends" revealed by the Herald on Sunday.

An experienced skydiver told the Herald it was essential to assess a parachutist's ability and skill before allowing them to downsize to smaller canopies.

This could make a huge difference to a pilot during the descent, he said.

"It's everything. It makes the recovery time a lot shorter. The speed increases, the descent increases, everything increases."

The man said the Creane accident was not about any equipment malfunction, but Creane's decision to make a fatal, low-altitude turn.

"At the end of the day everything comes back to Jack f***ed up. But was he taken care of up until that point when he f***ed up? Was he given the tools and was he given the knowledge?"

The 200-500 jump mark was a "danger period" for young skydivers. They had confidence and some knowledge, but lacked sufficient experience and skill to "save themselves" if they made a bad decision.