British Skydiving sets conditions for Aerodyne ICON I1–I3 containers to return to use

British Skydiving, the UK's skydiving federation, published Safety Notice SN 03/26 on 21 August 2026. It sets out the conditions that must be met before Aerodyne ICON containers in sizes I1–I3 can return to use at the parachute training organisations affiliated to the federation. Those sizes had been grounded there since April.

From grounding to return-to-use conditions

The grounding was imposed on 10 April by Safety Notice SN 01/26. In it the federation said that a fatal accident had occurred at one of its affiliated organisations on 6 April 2026. It grounded all types of ICON container with immediate effect following interim findings from its Board of Inquiry and an emergency meeting of Rigger Examiners. The notices we have read do not state a cause of the accident. In a statement of 22 April, Aerodyne said the information available did not allow conclusions to be drawn about the cause or about the performance of the equipment.

On 30 April the manufacturer issued Service Bulletin SB300426, making it mandatory, before the next jump, to place the cutter of the automatic activation device (AAD) above the reserve pilot chute in ICON sizes 1–5. For sizes 6–9 the configuration remained optional. A day later SN 02/26 returned sizes I4/S4 to I9/S9 to use, provided the change was made and signed off by a British Skydiving Advanced Rigger. Sizes I1–I3 stayed grounded.

Conditions for sizes I1–I3

SN 03/26 divides these containers into three groups, identified by serial number and label: older ICONs with serial numbers beginning IN, ICON NexGen with IX serials in version 0.4 and series 6, and ICON NexGen series 8.0, made from 2025 onwards. Some requirements apply to all three groups.

• the AAD cutter position is changed by a British Skydiving Advanced Rigger, following the manufacturer's instructions
• a reserve handle pull is mandatory, to confirm that the reserve pilot chute leaves the container after the modification
• a test activation of the AAD is also mandatory, for the same purpose, and the rigger should keep a video of it and give it to the owner
• all work is recorded on the container's data card and Record of Inspection, confirming compliance with TB220526, SB210108 and SN 03/26

For both tests the main and reserve should be fully packed and ready for use. The groups differ on Technical Bulletin TB220526, which describes a modification of the reserve pin cover flap. It is optional for IN containers, mandatory for NexGen version 0.4 and series 6, and not required for series 8.0. Series 8.0 containers have cutter locations on flap 1 and flap 3, and only flap 3 may be used.

Two differences from the manufacturer's documents

The first concerns how the cutter is fitted. SN 03/26 requires the change to follow Service Bulletin SB210108 of 25 January 2008, which places the cutter on flap 2. According to the federation, later variants with a MARD system have flap 3 above the reserve pilot chute, and the cutter should go there. In its comparison photographs the federation marks the SB210108 installation as acceptable and the SB300426 position as unacceptable. Aerodyne described SB210108 as an alternate cutter position prepared for a French federation requirement, and at the time rated both positions as approved and effective.

The second concerns TB220526. Aerodyne classes it as advisory: according to the bulletin, the modification is not required for continued airworthiness unless a skydiving association or local authority requires it. For NexGen version 0.4 and series 6 containers in sizes I1–I3, the British federation has made it a requirement. The federation also says it may amend, withdraw or replace the notice if further manufacturer guidance or technical information becomes available.

What it means outside the UK

SN 03/26 applies at organisations affiliated to British Skydiving. It is neither a Polish rule nor a manufacturer's bulletin. Germany's DFV, in a notice of 6 May 2026, made the SB300426 cutter relocation mandatory before the next jump for sizes 1–5. On 22 September 2026 the DFV list of safety notices contained no later document on the ICON.

An owner of an ICON in sizes I1–I3 who jumps in Poland, or who is heading to a drop zone in the UK, should establish with an appropriately rated rigger how the rig is configured and which documents apply to it.