What if... premature reserve deployment, blown up cells... cut it off???

[DougH 270]

The thread about reserve handles brought up this thought.

If you have a premature reserve deployment, and it is severally damaged, or not safe to land due to a bad line over, or tension knots, what do you do?

My thought would be since the main is still there, in the bag, you can cut away the reserve risers with a hook knife, get belly to earth, and deploy the main.

Or would it be better to pull the main and try and inflate it into a two out?

I was just curious what other people would do in this what if situation (assuming you have enough time to even deal with it).


Edit: Sorry I believe that this should be in the saftey and training forum. I must have been a little mixed up.

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[BIGUN 1,317]

I would strongly encourage you to print your questions out and take them to a local Instructor/Rigger. There is more than one question and a multitude of variables with each question.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[brabzzz 0]

edit: post deleted.

Will
read
the
question
first
next
time

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Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club
www.skydivebristoluni.com

[DougH 270]

No worries Bigun, it is definetly something that I will ask. I just happened to be away from the DZ when the thought popped into my head.

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[BIGUN 1,317]

Kewl. Just one of those scenarios best deserving of a face-face "Round Table" discussion.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[yardhippie 0]

This happened to a friend of mine:

Freefly dive (head down)
somewhere around 7000 feet the reserve handle was seen loose on his rig, moments later the reserve deployed destroying center cells (how many I cant remember)
He didnt have a hook knife.
Deployed his main a flew them somewhat successfully till a few hundred feet above the ground when they split and went into a downplane.
Result was a broken femur.

I'd have to refer to some others for all the other details like rig, exit weight, et.
Some others that post here from WTS may recall better than I.

Just figured Id present a real world occurence of your question.

Be safe.

Goddam dirty hippies piss me off! ~GFD
"What do I get for closing your rig?" ~ me
"Anything you want." ~ female skydiver
Mohoso Rodriguez #865

[mattjw916 2]

Right or wrong, you'll have the rest of your life to think about it.

Personally, if my reserve is out and it's _definately_ unlandable, I'm dumping my main into it. If you are going to land under a ball of shit, you'd better have as big a ball of shit as possible.

My $0.02.

NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

[diablopilot 2]

Think about it.

When you start to hack away at the reserve, and manage to get through a riser or two of line groups, you've gone froma slow speed malfiunction that may be stable enough for you to find the line groups to cut, to a high speed malfunction where you'll ahve little chance of being able to successfully cut the remainin line groups.


My bet would be to put out the main and then deal with the two out the best I could. I had a friend go through this scenario and he chose not to put out the main. He still walks this earth so who can fault his plan.

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[DougH 270]

Right I agree, it would go from a slow speed Mal to a high speed one the second you start hacking.

On the other hand if you are really high when things start going bad, and you reserve is in a hard spin, your main is most likely going to tangle up with all of it.

If you only get through one set of risers you can still deploy the main as a last chance.

I have never cut a set of reserve risers with a hook knife so this is really all conjecture.

I think you are hosed either way.

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[catfishhunter 2]

If I had a premie above 6-7 K and my Reserve "Blew Up" I would definatly cut the lines at the links. I wouldn't try cutting the risers but would cut the lines as a group. I am pretty confindent I could get both sets cut in time to dump my main. Under 6 K I would really think about it 5 K and under I would dump my main as low as possible and hope for the best. Reason i would ride the resevere down awhile is less time for it to fuck up. I would use the main for stopping purpose not flying purposes but again there are so many variables that can't be tested I don't think there is a wrong or right answer expect the Golden Rule~ NEVER GIVE UP~ So what ever keeps you busy tell your goggles fill with blood is better then waiting for the ground to swallow you up.

MAKE EVERY DAY COUNT
Life is Short and we never know how long we are going to have. We must live life to the fullest EVERY DAY. Everything we do should have a greater purpose.

[jlmiracle 7]

First I say the jump Yardhippie was referring to a it was scary as shit. I really don't think a hook knife would have helped the situation any.

Second as diabopilot said - cutting through both sides - well, good luck.

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Golden Rule~ NEVER GIVE UP~ So what ever keeps you busy tell your goggles fill with blood is better then waiting for the ground to swallow you up.

but before that you say

Quote

Reason i would ride the resevere down awhile is less time for it to fuck up

More time, gives you more time to fix.

j

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

[mjosparky 4]

I think you are thinking too much. Try not to over complicate it so much. I know that at your stage things can seem overwhelming but practice the EP's you were taught.

Trust me on this; you will not be able to cut through your reserve risers if it malfunctions. By the time you get it out you are already going to be low and your time would be better spent trying to fight what you have and if nothing else works toss the main. Get as much above your head as possible.

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[DougH 270]

I am not thinking too much, but I understand why you would think so. It was just an amusing, if slightly morbid, chain of events that popped into my head.

I am not afraid this is going to happen, and this thread isn't my way of adding to my list of EP's.

I practice my EP's every day, on alt, and touch handles in free fall.

This was just a no shit what if thread. IE: What if you had a double total, what would you do. I would track for my riggers car.

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[catfishhunter 2]

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More time, gives you more time to fix.

That is debatable. I don't care how much time you have you ain't fixing a Main Reserve Entaglement

Again it is not like these scenarios have been tested.

I wouldn't suggest someome spend alot of time thinking about this stuff but at least have SOME SORT of plan to keep ya busy. It most likely will be a roll of the dice anyway. Either your ticket will be up or it won't

MAKE EVERY DAY COUNT
Life is Short and we never know how long we are going to have. We must live life to the fullest EVERY DAY. Everything we do should have a greater purpose.

[Yossarian 0]

ive seen a video on skydiving movies of someone managing to solve the seemingly impenetrable conundrum of the main/reserve entanglement, looked to me like he climbed his reserve lines and pulled the bastard out of the freebag with his bare hands. good fun.

[catfishhunter 2]

Yeah but when your try to use your Main to save yourself from the "Blown Up" reserve it will still be attached where that video was of a guy trying to get rid of his main he cut away that was tangled with his reserve. But that could be a good thing though. It would keep you focused on something other then the crater your about to make

MAKE EVERY DAY COUNT
Life is Short and we never know how long we are going to have. We must live life to the fullest EVERY DAY. Everything we do should have a greater purpose.

[Reginald 0]

Quote

if nothing else works toss the main. Get as much above your head as possible.

deserves repeating

Listen to the wise one. When all else goes to shit get all the material you can above and hope for the best.

"We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things." CP

[CanuckInUSA 0]

I buy the best reserve on the market right now and trust that it won't blow up on me. If seas part and it does blow up on me, then I'll dump my main as I get close to the ground, get ready to PLF and hope for the best. We jump because it's fun and we can. Sometimes it's worth the risk. But I trust that my PD143R isn't going to blow up on me.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[mjosparky 4]

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I don't care how much time you have you ain't fixing a Main Reserve Entaglement

How many times have you tried it?

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Again it is not like these scenarios have been tested.

And you know for a fact that "these scenarios" have not been tested.

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I wouldn't suggest someome spend alot of time thinking about this stuff ........It most likely will be a roll of the dice anyway...

For most people thinking is fairly easy and does not cost anything. If you don't think all things are a "roll of the dice".

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[catfishhunter 2]

Come on Sparky you know what I mean. I am sure no one has tried to clear a main reserve entanglement at 2000' ON PURPOSE. As for fixing a main reserve entanglment maybe that was to broad a statement. I am sure it is "Possible" but the odds are stacked against you, Better?

And for the last statement what I said was don't spend alot of time thinking about it. I didn't say DON'T think about it. I have thought about it, made some decisions on what I would do if it happened to me and moved on. I wouldn't let this one in a million(hopefully) scenario rent to much space in ones head is what I meant but your smart I am sure you knew that but decided to pick it about anyway

MAKE EVERY DAY COUNT
Life is Short and we never know how long we are going to have. We must live life to the fullest EVERY DAY. Everything we do should have a greater purpose.