So the Army just suspended use of its first new parachute in 50 years, the T-11, following the death of a Fort Bragg soldier killed during a training jump with the chute.
The square-shaped T-11 is more than 20-percent larger than the old circular T-10 and is designed to fall slower than the old parachute; something that should dramatically reduce injuries during landings. In the video below, you can hear Army officials tell how their injury rates with the new parachute are down by more than 70-percent in some cases.
However, in the wake of the Fort Bragg death, Army officials have found "potential packing, inspection, quality control and functionality problems" with the T-11 parachute system.
This may have just been a tragic case of inexperience in packing the new chute rather than a design flaw. We'll see. In the meantime, the T-11 remains grounded until the investigation into the accident is complete.
