Reserve malfunctions

[cmdmd 0]

Does anyone know about a real reserve canopy malfuction??

Fallin' higher

[billvon 3,009]

>Does anyone know about a real reserve canopy malfuction??

Adam had a tandem lineover a while back. He managed to get it to go straight with the passenger's help; they rode it into a big puddle and survived with just bumps and bruises. Very lucky.

[mr2mk1g 10]

I've seen one which didn't become fully inflated until less than 100ft above the ground.

I guess its not quite what you're asking but it could have been nasty. The guy cut away at what must have been arround 1.5k although it was hard to judge and could have been higher. The reserve came out nice and quick but only the center seemed to inflate. It just seemed to be in a permanent snivel with the stabalisers flapping arround at the sides. It slowly opened up at arround 100ft giving the jumper just enough time to let it fly for a couple of seconds and flare. Only once it was fully open did it start to have any forward drive.

His decent rate was still kinda high above 100ft and if he had cut away 100ft lower he would have probably been a bit messed up on landing although I suspect he would have survived.

There's also a girl on here who survived a double mal - she posted her story not long back. Most reserve mals are actually caused by entaglements with the main so may or may not count to your question. Theres a vid of one of these on skydivingmoviesl.com where the guys survives. Some reserves may be damaged on opening if you exceed the manufacturors weight limits on them and have a premature in head down.

[flyhi 24]

Eric Butts was shooting video and wearing a new/unfamiliar canopy. The main had a steering line break. He chopped it and then had a problem with the reserve. I think it was a lineover, but not sure. Fought it down pretty low before it inflated. The video was scary; the audio was just what you would expect, a bunch of grunts and groans until it opened and then a bunch of expletives. Final audio input was something to the effect of "That's enough for today." He did a nice job of saving his life.

Shit happens. And it usually happens because of physics.

[dragon2 2]

Not really a mal maybe, but my reserve (128 sqft) had a closed end-cell that persisted until landing. Next jump on it was an intentional; it opened fine. Then 4 weeks later after a lineover it opened with closed endcells on both sides... Oh well figured out (well was told actally and it worked) how to open those real quick now so I'll keep the reserve, unless I get a very cheap PD 126 or Techno 128 thrown in my lap...

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[brits17 0]

Eric's video is classic... I believe it was a line over as well, collapsing 1/3 of the canopy on the right/left side (can't remember). I have not seen any others in action.

_______________________
aerialkinetics.com

[Hooknswoop 19]

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Eric's video is classic... I believe it was a line over as well, collapsing 1/3 of the canopy on the right/left side (can't remember). I have not seen any others in action.

I thought the slider grommet had material in it and the slider wouldn't come down? That is the only reserve mal I have seen. I did see a reserve that had been deployed and had a step-through in it.

Derek

[ifics 0]

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Eric Butts was shooting video and wearing a new/unfamiliar canopy. The main had a steering line break. He chopped it and then had a problem with the reserve. I think it was a lineover, but not sure. Fought it down pretty low before it inflated. The video was scary; the audio was just what you would expect, a bunch of grunts and groans until it opened and then a bunch of expletives. Final audio input was something to the effect of "That's enough for today." He did a nice job of saving his life.

He showed that video to me right off student status, very scary but it shows that you should not give up!!

[councilman24 37]

I had a customer blow up a Phantom round reserve. Deploy/FXC fired while tumbling. Broke the lower lateral band, torn to the apex, rode the crap to the ground. He survived but was broken up pretty good. He didn't blame me, I didn't blame me, and the factory didn't blame me.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[alan 1]

Was it indeed a lineover or a slider hang up? Did he discuss whether or not a hook knife would have helped in his situation? If yes, why did he use/not use it?

FWIW, I'm not trying to bash or promote hook knives, just get some real info regarding how valid their use is for dealing with a reserve lineover.

alan

[skybeergodd 0]

I believe there was also an incident of a tandem reserve opening with tension knots that the JM was unable to clear and he ended up landing in the trees with it. From what I heard he did an excellent job controlling it and I think it was at Moss Point . I don't exactly remember all the details.

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

Eric had a knot on one side of his canopy that held the slider up and was causing it to spin wildly. He yanked and yanked on it with all his considerable might until it freed. It is a very frightening video.

[skydiverek 63]

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Eric had a knot on one side of his canopy that held the slider up and was causing it to spin wildly. He yanked and yanked on it with all his considerable might until it freed. It is a very frightening video.

Is it online (video)???

[alan 1]

Was/is there any discussion on whether or not having a hook knife as part of gear selection should have played a role. It sure would be great to get firsthand opinions from Eric.

I often hear advice given that among other reasons to carry a hook knife is in case of a reserve mal (ie, most often lineover or tension knot) you can cut the offending line/s.

Does anyone here have any actual experience with cutting lines on a malfunctioned reserve? Urban legend type of advice based on some untried/unproven theory? Does anyone actually practice finding and handling the knife on an RD trainer? Are you comfortable using an emergency procedure, under stress, that you have never practiced? Is it better to deal with it and keep flying (as Eric did successfully), or start destroying your last airfoil?

I know this could be discussed over in S&T, but I think it is also related to G&R.

alan

[aneblett 0]

Not to be mean, but unlike some of my other esteemed colleagues I would ask that you at least enter a name and where you jump in your profile before I even think about answering your question..

thanks,

Age

S.E.X. party #2

..It is far worse to live with fear, than to die confronting it.

[Jimbo 0]

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Does anyone here have any actual experience with cutting lines on a malfunctioned reserve?

Hook did an experiment a while back where he tried to cut the offending line on an intentional lineover on a fairly large and docile canopy, I believe. If I'm not mistaken, he ended up cutting away the malfunctioning canopy and never did manage to cut the offending line. It's written up here somewhere.

-
Jim

"Like" - The modern day comma
Good bye, my friends. You are missed.

[sundevil777 102]

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Does anyone here have any actual experience with cutting lines on a malfunctioned reserve?

There was a link to video of a base jump where the guy was able to cut the offending line of a lineover. That was after he had to steer it away from the wall. So it can be done in a short time.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[Kris 0]

That was Tom Aiello's video. Freaky stuff. Very heads-up maneuver though.

Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and
Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

[johnny1488 1]

A note about Eric's mal. He wasted a bunch of time farting around with the main after he decided he would chop. Said it would make a "cool video". Something he said he will never do again! Enlightening when you see the reserve fully inflate at about 250 feet!

Johnny
--"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!"
Mike Rome

[betzilla 56]

My sweetie had a reserve bag lock (one line got caught on his altimeter - he's cool under pressure, and he cleared it). Anyone who's been to SDC has probably seen the video. It's pretty sick.

[alan 1]

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There was a link to video of a base jump where the guy was able to cut the offending line of a lineover

Just to be clear, did he actually cut the line or use the release that is used on some BASE rigs?
Thanks

alan

[hookitt 1]

He was jumping a very large parachute unlike most reserves. I believe it was a 280 and I know for certain it was not smaller. It was a slider up jump about 7 seconds delay.

The line release mod is for slider down or off jumps. He did not have Super Toggles or WLO toggles which will allow the jumper to release a brakeline during a slider up jump, (altitude permitting)

Tom lucked out and had a good amount of altitude. The nice thing was that he was able to maintain directional stability while steering with one rear riser.

He grabbed his hook knife, and actually had to take a re-grip of the knife for a better angle and cut the left brake line. The toggle fell away.

Try THAT on a regularly loaded skydiving reserve

The video can be found on ftp.skydivingmovies.com in the public/tomaiello folder. I didn't make a clicky link because it appears the site is down at the moment.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[alan 1]

Thanks, I'd like to hear mor from others, especially skydiving incidents. Based on the limited information prsented here ar this point, I'm not getting the idea that a hook knife for a solution to a reserve malfuction is not well documnted in the field, despite all of the advice given to the contray.

alan

[alan 1]

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There was a link to video of a base jump where the guy was able to cut the offending line of a lineover. That was after he had to steer it away from the wall. So it can be done in a short time.

here is what Tom had to say about his mal.

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=813420;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_expanded;#813420

alan

[Tonto 1]

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Does anyone know about a real reserve canopy malfuction??

I had one a couple of months back.

Story here.

Incidently - the name my parents gave me was Eric. It appears that statistically, Eric's are more likely to have reserve malfunctions - and live.

t

It's the year of the Pig.