Background

Following the incident involving 3WO Jeffrey Heng during the National Day Parade (NDP) 2022, a Review Panel was commissioned to examine the training and safety management of the Red Lions. The Review Panel was headed by the SAF Inspector-General's Office (IGO), with external experts in the field of skydiving. The Review Panel reviewed and recommended enhancements to the training and safety management of the Red Lions display team.

Review Findings of the Incident

The Review Panel found that there is strong command emphasis and high levels of commitment from the Commando Formation to ensure the safe conduct of the Red Lions Display Jumps. The training system is safe, robust, and progressive. Substantial resources and efforts have been invested to implement sound training and safety management systems, with practices and safety measures that are comparable with internationally recognised skydiving governing bodies. The Review Panel did not find any procedural lapses.

The Review Panel found that there were sudden and unexpected changes in wind conditions during the Display Jump on 9 Aug 22. There was more turbulence experienced by the Red Lions than in previous rehearsal jumps.

As 3WO Heng was approaching his final turn, he experienced a sudden strong gust of wind from his rear. To maintain control over his flight path, 3WO Heng executed a sharp left turn. This caused his parachute to be depressurised briefly, resulting in loss of altitude. The Panel found that he could have turned towards the final leg earlier by adopting a more gradual turn profile.

As there was insufficient altitude for a flare landing^[1], 3WO Heng instinctively executed the Parachute Landing Fall^[2] as per protocol. This mitigated the landing impact and prevented serious injury.

3WO Heng has since recovered well, and has been certified medically fit to resume training. He is back in action as the overall jumpmaster to coordinate training for the NDP 23 Red Lions Team.

Enhancements to Red Lions Display Jump Training

The Red Lions are experienced jumpers selected from the Commandos Formation, and are trained in both static line and freefall jumps. The Red Lions who have been selected for recent NDPs have clocked an average of 400 to 500 jumps and have 20 years of experience each.

The training system for Red Lions Display Jumps continues to remain safe and robust. The Red Lions also leverage technology in their training. They undergo vertical wind tunnel training, and the Parachute Flight Simulator to hone their freefall skills and rehearse in a controlled environment prior to live jumps.

Further updates to training programmmes and enhancements that have been implemented include:

a.    Skills Enhancement Programme (SEP). As part of SEP, the canopy piloting course augments the military freefall training that the Red Lions had already received. Incepted since 2018, it was suspended in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. It has since resumed in 2023. The course equips jumpers with essential canopy piloting skills to handle challenging wind and landing zone conditions particular to Display Jumps.

b.    Enhanced Display Jump Preparatory Training (DPT). The training provides high volume, focused team jump training. The DPT allows the Red Lions to closely simulate the required landing zone conditions. It also includes overseas training, which allow the Red Lions to train in drop zones with more wind turbulence and other challenging conditions, and further hone their parachuting skills.

c.    Build-Up Training to NDP. The NDP 23 Red Lions team started training in March 2023 and have completed both SEP and DPT. On-site rehearsals will commence from June, and will last till NDP 2023 on 9 Aug. The build-up training would sharpen individual proficiencies to handle challenging winds, as well as strengthen team synergy.

d.    Expanded Landing Zone and Distance from Spectators. The landing zone at the actual NDP site will be expanded. The landing zone will also be sited further from the spectator stands, so that the jumpers will be less susceptible to the turbulences caused by eddy currents and thermal effects. This will also allow more manoeuvring space for the Red Lions.

[1]Flare Landing describes the stopping of the forward motion of the parachute to slow the descent for landing.

[2]Parachute Landing Fall is a safety technique to displace the energy of the body contacting the earth at high speeds.