Both arms should be outstretched above the head with the hands firmly grasping the risers. The eyes should be directed at a 45-degree angle to the ground or on the horizon. This line of vision will help prevent anticipation of surface contact and the associated retraction of legs which becomes almost an involuntary act if looking straight down. Statistics concerning night landings indicate that the chances of injury are less than during daylight hours. One potential explanation is that the instant of landing impact cannot be readily anticipated, and therefore, less anticipatory leg tensing and retraction occurs.
Water landings present additional hazards.
Drowning from dragging or parachute entanglement has been a serious problem and can happen to the best of swimmers even with relatively light surface winds. Since it is extremely difficult to judge height above water, no attempt should be made to release the parachute prior to landing. The aircrewman must release canopy fittings immediately upon entering the water or shed the entire harness assembly. The recent operational introduction of the FLU-8 which senses water entry and automatically inflates the life preserver has helped to reduce the number of drownings experienced after ejection. Shortly after salt water entry it automatically activates, separating the parachute canopy from the parachute risers.