Obstacle landings at a glance: why they are almost always avoidable, what USPA and DFV say about preparation, and why the details belong in school.
The honest answer up front: an obstacle landing (water, trees, buildings, power lines) almost never happens to you if you plan and fly your landing pattern. The USPA puts it this way: you can usually avoid such obstacles by observing the wind and planning a suitable landing pattern [1]. The second lever is an alternate landing area that you choose by 2,000 ft (about 610 m) [1][2].
What happens anyway is rare and part of the training: even in the first-jump course the USPA requires that you can explain the correct reaction for power lines, water, trees, buildings and hazards specific to the drop zone [1]. This guide gives you an overview of the principle and of why the details belong where an instructor goes through them with you in the harness. It is not a how-to.
The Swedish figures show why this is not theoretical: about half the country is forest, and unintentional water landings were involved in fatalities [6]. For students, missing or defective life jackets and water-triggered automatic reserve devices played a role [5].
The order matters: avoid first, then prepare, then react.
You avoid obstacles most reliably by going through wind and pattern beforehand [1]. A large, open landing area with a planned pattern leaves obstacles little room [2], and accurate landing gives you confidence in case you do have to land out [4]. Milestone: you can point on the map to where the obstacles of your drop zone are.
The USPA sums it up in four words: "look away, steer away." You go where your eyes go. Whoever stares at the obstacle steers toward it [1]. You look for the clear area and steer there. Straight lines in the terrain can be power lines, fences or ditches [1].
If you have to dodge low, you use a braked turn and prepare to flare from the brake position [2]. The USPA gives concrete guideline values from training: above 150 ft (about 45 m) turn at most 30° toward the clear area, below that a half-braked turn followed by a braked flare [3]. 150 ft is about fifteen storeys of a tall building.
Whatever the obstacle: you prepare for the landing roll (PLF), feet and knees together [1][2]. A correctly executed PLF helps reduce injuries [1].
Here the procedures differ strongly: water, trees, roofs and power lines each have their own rules, down to whether you separate from the canopy or not [1][2]. One principle the USPA stresses is common: you do not climb out of a tree or building on your own, you wait for help [1]. With power lines you let nobody near you until the power is verifiably off [2]. Everything else belongs in your training.
This explains and motivates, it does not replace training. Obstacle emergency procedures are an instructor topic.
Before the jump, go through with your instructor where the three most dangerous spots of your drop zone are and decide which direction you would dodge in at each. The USPA even has you determine the wind direction and draw the pattern on the map [1]. The routine costs five minutes and turns a vague feeling into a plan (practical experience).
It depends on the obstacle, and the USPA describes separate procedures for each [1][2]. What they share: prepare for the landing roll, do not climb alone, wait for help [1]. You learn the details in training at your own drop zone.
Most injuries occur in the landing phase, but not through obstacles alone [7]. The USPA says obstacles can usually be avoided through wind and pattern planning [1]. There is no substantiated figure for obstacle landings alone.
The USPA requires it for solo students when the exit, opening or landing point is within one mile (about 1.6 km) of open water in which one could drown [3]. Your drop zone may have stricter rules.
Keep your eyes on the clear area, choose an alternate landing area by 2,000 ft if you are not near your holding area, and dodge low only in brakes [1][2][3]. The USPA names the principle "look away, steer away" [1].
Fall Rate Control: Falling Faster and Slower on Purpose