HC Deb 06 July 1966 vol 731 cc408-10
12. Mr. Marten

asked the Minister of Aviation if he will make a statement about the failures in the PX parachute.

13. Mr. Webster

asked the Minister of Aviation why the PX-type parachute was withdrawn from service; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Snow

I much regret the needless anxiety which has been caused by an inaccurate and misleading newspaper article. The PX-type parachute was introduced into Service use in November, 1963, and there were 30,000 successful descents before two fatal accidents in 1965. An investigation of possible causes, during which use of the parachutes was temporarily suspended, revealed no basic fault although it was thought advisable to strengthen the nylon centre base tie.

Mr. Marten

Would not the Minister agree that when jumping out of aeroplanes it is rather essential that the parachutists should have absolute confidence in their equipment? [Laughter.] In view of this Press report to which the Minister referred, can he say whether the experts are now absolutely satisfied with the design and manufacture and testing of this parachute?

Mr. Snow

The House will forgive me if I ask them to consider this as a very serious matter indeed. Yes, I am informed by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence that this is the case, that the Services regard this as a suitable and adequate piece of equipment. I hope that my Answer will be given the widest publicity in order to rectify any damage done to morale which this ill-informed article may have occasioned.

Mr. Crawshaw

Would my right hon. Friend agree that the equipment used by the British airborne forces is considered to be amongst the best in the world and that the low incidence of failure of the parachute reflects not only great credit on the manufacturers but also on those members of the Services whose job it is to pack the parachutes?

Mr. Snow

Yes, I would, and may I say that many of the people concerned in these tests are themselves very experienced parachutists.

Mr. Webster

Can the hon. Gentleman say why a centre base tie of insufficient strength has been used for a considerable time, and is he now satisfied that the centre base tie is of adequate strength for the parachute?

Mr. Snow

The centre base tie has been increased in strength, but as the hon. Gentleman will appreciate, as he is himself a skilled instructor in parachuting, it is very dangerous to have a tie which is too strong. It is a matter of finding a balance.

14. Mr. Webster

asked the Minister of Aviation if he will give the number of parachute jumps performed on a PX-type parachute in each of the last two years, respectively, and the number of irregularities analysed between thrown lines, blown peripheries and premature openings.

Mr. Snow

As the Answer contains a number of figures, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT. These figures will show Ministry of Aviation tests and do not include Service jumps. They also include induced failures.

Mr. Webster

I appreciate the complications, but is it not regrettable that there has not been adequate high-speed photography of 400 frames per second from the same axis on a static line, since this would have shown a great deal of importance to those engaged in research?

Mr. Snow

The type of photography which has been suggested in the article to which I have referred does not necessarily commend itself to my Department. In point of fact, photographs are taken from three points for jumps during their testing. We consider this to be effective as it gives better angles of view.

Following is the answer:

July, 1964– July, 1965–
June, 1965 June, 1966
Descents (live and dummy) 679 3,891
Including blown peripheries 3 93*
Including premature breaks 2 11†
* Includes 46 deliberately induced during trials and 21 caused by aircraft flying at higher than normal speeds.
† Includes 10 deliberately induced during trials.