The term "augured," as used in skydiving, refers to a hand drill used for drilling large holes in wood.

Some types of malfunctions cause a parachute to spiral so fast that the parachute and the skydiver are level with each other and the horizon. The obvious problem with this is that the downward speed is also very fast (about fifty miles an hour - more or less). In a cartoon world, someone with such a radical rotation and downward speed would drill himself into the ground as if driven in by an auger

With some parachutes, it's possible to make these violent spins on purpose. With Dan's parachute, it required a malfunction. Or, in this exact case, his foot tangled in the right risers (straps from the rig to the parachute lines). It's possible that when Dan tried to go from headstand to normal in order to make his landing approach, his foot got caught in the right side risers. This would pull down on the right side risers and cause a fast right hand turn. This turning would increase the centrifugal force on Dan. Since he would have been off balance (midway between handstand and normal) this would make his foot pull even more on the risers, thereby causing an even more violent spin. With enough altitude Dan might have had the time to release his main and pull his reserve - or at least pull his reserve.

By using the term "augured in," one skydiver is telling another the configuration of the jumper, parachute, and ground. (Our language is as descriptive as the Eskimos', who have dozens of words for snow.)

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