SINGAPORE, Sept 14 — The rough landing by a Red Lions parachutist at the National Day Parade (NDP) last month was the result of a sudden change in wind conditions during his final approach. This was the preliminary finding by a committee looking into the incident.

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said yesterday (September 13) that the parachutist, Third Warrant Officer (3WO) Jeffrey Heng, had assessed that his parachute canopy was unstable and executed a fall landing technique in accordance with protocol.

"His actions mitigated the impact of the hard landing and consequently, he did not suffer severe injuries.” Dr Ng put out a written reply to a parliamentary question filed by Mr Don Wee, Member of Parliament (MP) for Chua Chu Kang Group Representative Constituency.

Wee was asking whether the Ministry of Defence will consider reviewing safety measures for military demonstrations such as free-fall jumps and parachute landings, and whether to limit such exercises to only training operations.

At the NDP on August 9 evening, 3WO Heng was the last of 10 parachutists to land at the Marina Bay floating platform when he skidded on the pavement and fell to the ground entangled in his parachute.

Dr Ng said that the measured surface wind speeds during the rehearsals and the parade itself were within the acceptable range stipulated in the safety regulations of the Singapore Armed Force (SAF).

He added that he has asked the committee why specific incidents like this have not occurred before, since changes in wind conditions cannot only have occurred for this year’s NDP.

The committee is now consulting external experts on this specific question as well as reviewing in detail the approach route taken by 3WO Heng, Dr Ng said.

Other issues to be examined include the impact of eddy currents — formed when wind meets a solid object — caused by the design of the floating platform, the stage and the spectator stands.

These findings will be relevant to the design and construction of NS Square, which will be a permanent site for future parades, Dr Ng said.

He added that the committee is also examining possible measures to improve safety, one of which is increasing the distance between parachutists to give them more reaction time and space when landing.

Dr Ng has said before that an interim report has suggested the need for a different descent path.

He said yesterday: "The SAF’s priority is safety, and the Red Lions will continue to be a part of our NDP celebrations, only if safety can be ensured, with appropriate new measures, including those recommended by the review committee.”

The committee is led by the SAF Inspector-General Office and includes independent experts outside the SAF in sky diving and military freefall.

Safety record

The Red Lions have been a regular feature of the NDP since 1989, appearing in 31 parades over 34 years.

Dr Ng pointed out that of about 3,400 individual jumps, there have been only four recorded injuries — a rate of 0.12 per cent.

This good safety record is equivalent to regular military freefall training jumps, which has had an incident rate of about 0.1 per cent over the past five years, he added.

"The SAF recognises that conditions during NDP pose tighter constraints due to challenging wind conditions and limited landing area, among other factors. This is why only experienced parachutists are selected as Red Lions for NDP displays.”

Parachutists must have made a minimum of 180 jumps to qualify for the selection tests, Dr Ng said. After they are selected, they are put through "continuous and rigorous” training.

The personnel chosen for recent NDPs have clocked an average of 400 to 500 jumps and 20 years of jump experience each.

For jumps at The Float@Marina Bay or in the heartlands, landing sites are carefully selected. The sites must be flat, provide enough space, be free from obstructions and have wind conditions within safe thresholds.

A safety management plan is developed to identify potential risks and design mitigating measures. Before live jump tasks, safety briefings are conducted for all involved personnel, covering pre-operations drills and emergency procedures.

There are also clear criteria for when a jump is cancelled without hesitation. These include the visibility of the landing site, communications with the pilot and ground personnel as well as the weather and wind speed.

During the 2015 NDP, the Red Lions segment was cancelled due to low clouds obstructing the visibility of the landing sites, Dr Ng said.

More recently on August 7 during the heartland NDP celebrations at Ghim Moh housing estate, a morning jump was postponed to the evening due to weather conditions, he added. ― TODAY