Overconfidence
Every year for more than a decade, The Parachutist, which
is the official publication of the United States Parachute
Association, has published an article called their "fatality
summary." In the article a writer analyzes the factors
contributing to parachuting deaths in the previous year.
Parachutists are classified first as students, then after
twenty jumps they receive their A license. After fifty
jumps, they receive their B license. After one hundred jumps
their C license. After two hundred jumps, their D license.
In the 1993 fatality summary Paul Sitter points to an
alarming statistic. Fifty-nine percent of all parachuting
fatalities were suffered by elite jumpers, those with a D
license. A graph accompanying the article shows a dramatic
upward spike for fatalities among those with two hundred to
one thousand jumps. The line on the graph falls again for
those with more than one thousand jumps.
The lesson is clear. Just because a person is mature doesn't
mean he or she is invulnerable. Is it possible that some
parachutists with between two hundred and one thousand jumps
got overconfident?
Author unknown. If anyone has a proprietary interest in this story please authenticate and I will be happy to credit, or remove, as the circumstances dictate.
Thanks to Keith Smith The Christian and Bible Resource Center