Reyn White, 1942-1964
Stephen Reynolds White died on October 29, 1964, in a parachute drop accident that occurred over the Maize Airport. As the head of Air Capitol Skydivers, White had led his skydiving group to victory over 90+ competitors in the Southwest Sun Carnival Association in El Paso in August 1964. His skydivers performed daredevil feats often, including a drop into Kanopolis Lake, where they were picked up by a motorboat.
A manufacturer’s advisory letter about defects in White’s parachute did not reach his home until after the accident. Following are excerpts from articles in the Wichita Eagle about Reyn White’s fatal accident.
“Reyn White Death Brings Setback to Parachuting” – Wichita Eagle, October 30, 1964–
“Sport parachuting received a setback Thursday as one of Wichita’s most respected proponents was killed. Findings pointed to equipment failure.
“Reyn White, 22, of 322 N. Custer, was one of three who made a simultaneous sport parachute drop from an aircraft 9,200 feet over Maize Airport.
“Parachutes of two associates functioned normally but White’s failed, and he was killed as he hit the ground 30 yards east of Ridge Road on a line with the airport.
“The pilot of the plane taking the jumpers aloft was Carl Hobaugh, owner and operator of the field, which was headquarters for Air Capital ParaCenter, founded by White.
“Making the free-fall jump with White were Wichitans Ty Keithley and Jim Scott, veterans of sport parachuting. Scott explained events before and during the fatal jump.
“The group was practicing for upcoming skydiving competitions at Hiawatha, Kansas, and El Paso, Texas. This was the group’s first jump of the day.
“The plan was for all three to leave the plane at the same time, join up and hold hands during the free fall part of the drop and separate to deploy their chutes.
“Keithley was hanging on the wing strut, White was on the plane jump step, and I went out the door, Scott said. ‘As I went out the door, I tapped White and then he and Keithley pushed off. By the time we had dropped 1,500 feet, White and I joined up. Keithley was unable to join us because he wasn’t in position.’
“From 7,500 to 8,000 feet down to 3,500 feet, White and I were hooked up. On the signal – pulling together and then pushing apart – White and I broke, drifted apart, and then pulled the ripcords.
“Scott said that Keithley had deployed his chute at 3,500 feet. Scott said he pulled his ripcord at 3,000 and his chute was fully deployed at 2,800 feet – well above the prescribed minimums specified in Parachute Club of America rules.
“Scott said he glanced in White’s direction the instant after he pulled his ripcord and saw his associate’s pilot chute was out, meaning that White had pulled the ripcord but his main chute had not deployed.
“Scott said he lost sight of White with the opening shock of his own main chute.
“Investigators determined the sleeve covering White’s main chute was still on and the main chute shroud lines had not fully deployed. For reasons which were unexplainable, White had pulled the ripcord from the housing of the emergency standby parachute, but it also failed to deploy.
“The parachute used by White was acquired recently. Known as ‘the Crossbow,’ it is made by Security Parachute Company.
“As for possible carelessness on the part of White [as a cause of the accident], this was discounted quickly by Wichitan James Greenwood, author of two books on sport parachuting He had watched White develop from the time he sold his imported motorbike to acquire a “rig” – the name given to a set of parachutes used in skydiving.
“White did everything by the book and he wasn’t the type to panic. He was methodical, dedicated to advancing the sport, and one of the best”, reflected Greenwood on the day of the accident.
“At the time of the accident, White was on his 387th jump, having made his first in December 1960.”
A subsequent Wichita Eagle article provided further information about the accident.
“When sport parachute sky diver Reyn White, 22, was killed here on October 29, a letter was on its way to him which could have made a world of difference.
“The letter from Security Parachute Company, San Leandro, California, was to advise White to make a change in the design of the parachute he was using to prevent a malfunction.
“White had been using the chute only a short while. He had made approximately 20 jumps using the primary parachute but had never operated the reserve pack.
“Hours after the accident, White’s associates during the jump, Ty Keithley and Jim Scott, still showed shock because by all the books, ‘It just shouldn’t and couldn’t happen.’ Reflecting on events of the day, Scott said of Reyn White, ‘On the ground he was slow and methodical, while in the air he was cool, smooth and methodical and not slow.’
“‘He wasn’t the type that would panic over a malfunction because he’d handled them before,’ observed Scott.
“Some of the puzzlement about the accident began to dispel the day of Reyn White’s funeral. Returning home after the funeral, his parents, Mr and Mrs. Antoine White, opened some of the mail that had been neglected during the family’s grief.
“In the mail was found a letter from Security Parachute Company seemingly postmarked within a few minutes of the time of White’s death. The letter informed Antoine White that the safety ‘book’ by which his son lived should be changed.
“To most other individuals who received this bulletin, the change advised by Security Parachute might have seemed minor. It involved a move of only 2 1/2 inches upward of the nylon retainer for emergency ripcord housing which would prevent the emergency ripcord from binding.
“The letter to White, before going into a technical description of the changed to be made, stated: ‘It has been determined by the latest of periodic tests conducted by the Engineering Department on 10/26/64 that certain pull angles of the Crossbow Reserve Ripcord handle may create excessive pull forces. For your protection and safety, we recommend that the following be accomplished immediately. The details followed, placed on a second page, a diagram of changes suggestion in the parachute’s design.
“There is no certain way of knowing, but indications are that if Reyn White had received the Security letter, dated October 27 and posted October 29, earlier, the rig he used the day of his last jump might have been modified.”
Editor’s Note: Many thanks to Barb Hammond for finding these newspaper articles about Reyn White.
