Deaths at a California skydiving center, but the jumps go on

Lodi drop zone safety and reputation

• Many experienced skydivers say Lodi has had a bad reputation for years; some “would never jump there” and guessed the article was about Lodi from the headline alone.
• 28 deaths since the 1980s (~0.7–1 per year) is viewed by skydivers as “insanely high” for a single drop zone; several compare it unfavorably to DZs with only one fatality in decades.
• Locals reportedly knew about the deaths; outsiders and first‑timers generally did not.

Regulation, oversight, and data gaps

• In the U.S., FAA rules (FAR Part 105) cover aircraft and a few jump‑specific issues; everything else is largely self‑regulation by USPA and manufacturers.
• Lodi is not a USPA drop zone, so it’s outside that ecosystem of rules and incident reporting.
• Commenters highlight absence of mandatory, centralized incident and jump‑count reporting, making true risk hard to quantify.

Risk levels and comparisons

• Cited data: 10 USPA fatalities per 3.65M jumps (3×10⁻⁶ per jump); a review paper puts fatalities at <1 per 100,000 jumps and serious injuries <2 per 10,000.
• Skydiving is compared to rock climbing, driving, motorcycling, surgery (e.g., bunion operations with ~0.01% mortality), and lifestyle risks like smoking; opinions differ on whether skydiving is “that dangerous” or relatively safe when done properly.
• Several argue that excluding the worst operators would make the sport markedly safer.

Tandem vs. solo and accident mechanics

• Tandem jumps are described as among the safer jump types, though they use different gear and require specific instructor experience.
• Discussion of how main and reserve chutes can fail or tangle, reserve‑packing standards, and devices like AADs and RSLs.
• Major causes of fatalities in the broader sport include human error and high‑risk maneuvers like “swooping,” which tandems typically avoid.

Customer perspective, waivers, and information asymmetry

• First‑timers describe rushed briefings and heavy reliance on instructors; they feel unable to judge real safety levels or operator competence.
• Legal waivers and U.S. contract law are criticized as placing too much burden on consumers who don’t understand probabilities or legal language.

Liability, fines, and enforcement

• Commenters note unpaid FAA fines and civil judgments against the operator, and discuss how hard it is to collect large judgments compared to how aggressively small debts are pursued from ordinary individuals.