2019年10月22日，澳大利亚昆士兰州开普翠布里尼亚一起滑翔伞事故导致游客Dean Anson Sanderson从25米高空坠落身亡，其妻子Shannon Sanderson也在同一事故中坠落并重伤[1]。法庭审判中披露，事故责任方Jungle Surfing Canopy Tours存在严重的安全管理缺陷。
运营公司的管理漏洞在庭审中逐一曝光。运营经理Leigh Gallon承认不熟悉相关的澳大利亚滑翔伞安全标准[1]。公司管理人员Sheena Mary Walshaw曾在2017年7月10日的邮件中对员工资质要求表示"Don't worry about it. I'm sure it'll be fine without it."（别担心，没有也不会有问题）[1]。技术层面，事故根本原因是固定滑翔伞端点的钢丝绳夹发生了彻底故障[1]。作为事故直接受害者，遗孀Shannon Sanderson在法庭作证时对这些安全失职表示震惊[1]。事故发生后，运营公司Keydane随即停止运营，目前已不再注册[1]。
A fatal zipline accident in Queensland's Cape Tribulation has revealed significant safety violations at the operator responsible for the incident.[1] Dean Anson Sanderson fell 25 meters from a canopy tour on October 22, 2019, while his wife Shannon Sanderson suffered severe injuries in the same accident.[1] The operator, Jungle Surfing Canopy Tours, was found to have violated multiple safety standards, including employing staff without proper qualifications and failing to use torque wrenches to secure bolts.[1] During court proceedings, Shannon Sanderson testified to her shock at learning of these safety lapses.[1]
The accident resulted from a complete failure of the steel cable clamp that anchored the zipline endpoint.[1] In a 2017 email regarding staff certification requirements, company manager Sheena Mary Walshaw wrote: "Don't worry about it. I'm sure it'll be fine without it."[1] Operations manager Leigh Gallon admitted during trial that he was unaware of specific Australian zipline safety standards.[1] The company, operating under the name Keydane, ceased operations on the day of the accident and is no longer registered.[1]