Parachute Operations Rules and Skydiving Safety Data

Federal parachute rules cover airport approval, notice to air traffic control, weather limits and equipment requirements. The FAA's Aeronautical Information Manual adds guidance on traffic awareness and radio broadcasts. National figures from the United States Parachute Association (USPA) describe reported jumps, reserve use, injuries and fatalities.

Who Approves Jumps Over an Airport

Under 14 CFR 105.23(b), parachute operations over or onto an airport without an operating control tower require prior approval from airport management. The rule applies to the person conducting the operation and to the pilot in command allowing it from an aircraft.

Section 105.23(c) allows a parachutist to drift over an airport with a fully deployed, properly functioning parachute when at least 2,000 feet above that airport's traffic pattern. The parachutist must also avoid creating a hazard to air traffic or to people and property on the ground. The height is measured above the traffic pattern. Both the height condition and the condition about avoiding hazards are part of this provision.

Notifying Air Traffic Control

For operations within or into Class E or Class G airspace, section 105.25 generally requires notification to the air traffic control facility responsible for the airspace at the first intended exit altitude. The notification window is from 24 hours to one hour before the operation begins, subject to the section's exceptions.

An organization conducting a scheduled series of operations may submit written notification covering no more than 12 calendar months. Air traffic control facilities may accept it when it contains the information prescribed by section 105.15(a), identifies the responsible persons, and is submitted 15-30 days before operations begin. The federal parachute operations regulations distinguish airport approval from airspace notification.

Weather and Cloud Clearance for Jumps

Section 105.17 prohibits parachute operations into or through a cloud. Its table uses both height above the surface and altitude above mean sea level (MSL). The visibility and cloud-distance requirements depend on those altitude references:

• At 1,200 feet or less above the surface, regardless of MSL altitude: three statute miles of visibility; 500 feet below, 1,000 feet above and 2,000 feet horizontally from clouds.
• More than 1,200 feet above the surface but below 10,000 feet MSL: three statute miles of visibility; 500 feet below, 1,000 feet above and 2,000 feet horizontally from clouds.
• More than 1,200 feet above the surface and at or above 10,000 feet MSL: five statute miles of visibility; 1,000 feet below, 1,000 feet above and one mile horizontally from clouds.

Parachute Equipment and Packing

For single-harness, dual-parachute systems, section 105.43 requires the reserve to have been packed by a certificated parachute rigger within 180 days before use when its canopy, shroud and harness consist exclusively of the specified synthetic materials. That material condition includes nylon, rayon or similar material resistant to damage from fungi and other rotting agents in a moist environment.

For tandem systems, section 105.45 requires an operational automatic activation device for the reserve, approved by the tandem system's manufacturer. The packing interval and the tandem-device rule are separate requirements.

What Jump Pilots Broadcast

The FAA's AIM 3-5-4 guidance recommends that jump pilots near a non-towered airport look for traffic and exchange traffic information. Before a jump, the pilot should broadcast altitude and position relative to the airport, plus the approximate jump start and end times, on the designated CTAF, or Common Traffic Advisory Frequency.

The guidance calls for listening to other aircraft's position reports and monitoring that frequency until parachute activity ends or the aircraft leaves the area. Pilots should avoid releasing parachutes while other aircraft are in the traffic pattern. Reported altitudes use mean sea level or flight level, as appropriate. The Chart Supplement tabulates parachute jump areas.

What the National Safety Figures Show

The USPA national safety report cites its 2025 Member Survey. USPA reports an estimated 3.47 million skydives in 2025, 16 U.S. civilian skydiving fatalities and 0.46 fatalities per 100,000 jumps. Its 2024 figures are 3.88 million jumps, 9 fatalities and 0.23 fatalities per 100,000 jumps.

USPA reports that 11.8% of members used a reserve in 2025. Some reported multiple uses, giving an estimated 4,777 reserve rides, or an estimated 1 reserve use per 726 jumps. In the survey, 5.6% of members reported an injury requiring medical treatment; ankle injuries from landings were the most common.

For 2016-2025, USPA reports nine fatal skydiving-related aircraft accidents with 26 total fatalities. These figures measure different things: jump totals and fatality rates, members reporting reserve use or injury, and fatal aircraft accidents. A percentage of members differs from a rate per 100,000 jumps. These national figures do not describe an individual airport's record.