GordonH 0 #1 April 27, 2006 Just posting a stupid mistake I made, so others can learn without having to be as lucky as I was. Chest strap wasn't done up correctly and I found out under canopy. Here's the story... I'd got 17 years in sport, 1350 or so jumps. Jumping in the UK not at my regular drop-zone, but also one that requires a flight-line check from another jumper before boarding. I was in a team, and as the team members were each checking each other, one person signed for the whole team... ...but I was busy trying to plan a 'really cool' next jump, was busily trying to get names and a dive plan for a 16-way 2-plane load. I kittedup in a distracted way, and didn't ask anyone for a check as I was getting carried away planning. We then took off... ...exit at 8 grand, and dump straight away for a free-stowed (non-bagged) deployment on my Lightning for a CRW jump. [This is the 1st point when it could have been nasty - had he opening been VERY hard, or had I been head-low at deployment, I could have fallen forwards out of the harness]. But I didn't and still noticed nothing wrong... ...then I docked 3rd on stack. [2nd potential nasty point had we wrapped]... ...then someone docked on me [3rd potential nasty point had we wrapped]... then the top person rotated off the top and onto the bottom of the stack. Then the next person rotated off the top and now it's my turn to get ready to rotate... ...and slid back up the lines. As I arrived at the top with a litte bit of speed ( P I N G ! !!) my cheststrap flies undone [4th potential nasty point]... ...breathing fast, getting nervous, I cannot drop the two stack beneath me as the 4th person is arriving just beneath to dock and the two-way would drop into them. I just roll my shoulders, keep elbows in and keep as still as I can.... ...after they docked on the bottom, I carefully kicked out of the lines, headed for some clear space, and re-did my chest-strap. I then spent time on the flight down, and on the ground since contemplating how easily I could have been in freefall with no harness. So some lessons... 1. stupid mistakes can be made by anyone, even if you consider yourself safety concious and have been around for a few years. Especially if you allow yourself to get distracted because of something 'new' or 'cool' going on. 2. it's relatively easy to take your cheststrap and mis- route by not putting it through the metalwork, but fold it back through elastic keeprs so that at a glance it 'looks normal' (especially when you have knives and alti's on the cheststrap). 3. This could have easily been found if at any point on the walk to the plane, or during the flight, I had carfeully checked my gear by looking at the chestrap routing, or tugging the chestrap. 4. And I should have had a flightline check from another jumper (as is the rule in my country) which should have also spotted it Felt stupid for doing it. Feel a bit better for sharing my stupidity. Don't be as daft as me please. Blue skies! Gordon Beware of advice from those with more posts than jumps ;-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Reginald 0 #2 April 28, 2006 Thanks for sharing. A good reminder that anyone can make a small mistake with potential for disaster. Be careful out there...."We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things." CP Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #3 April 28, 2006 Thanks for the reminder, Gordon. It's amazing that of all the jumpers I see getting on planes, it's most often, by far, the "experienced" ones who do not do gear checks, get on the plane with leg straps undone and dangling, without chest straps done up, without getting pin/PC checks...just amazing. And when you say something to them about it, they usually respond with sarcasm and sometimes downright nastiness using jump numbers as an argument.My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tdog 0 #4 April 28, 2006 QuoteThanks for the reminder, Gordon. It's amazing that of all the jumpers I see getting on planes, it's most often, by far, the "experienced" ones who do not do gear checks, get on the plane with leg straps undone and dangling, without chest straps done up, without getting pin/PC checks...just amazing. And when you say something to them about it, they usually respond with sarcasm and sometimes downright nastiness using jump numbers as an argument. This reminds me of a trip I made to ZHills with my friends... We were on the plane, and it appeared that one guy (macho big guy with a small rig swooping) had his reserve cable and ball stuck in the velcro that holds the reserve handle. This can cause, from real world experience, a premature reserve deployment if the yoke is streched just right. My friend, who has rigging training, said, admittedly in a tone that sounded a bit "know it all", although the tone was an accidental expression, "you know, that can be dangerous" - while pointing to it... The guilty jumper and his friend said, "That is why I am getting out of this sport, people like him" and "What the hell do you know?" Egos, they are going to kill... (B.T.W. - my 4way mentor who has 10,000 jumps still asks me for a gear check, so all hope is not lost for the experienced guys.) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 643 #5 April 28, 2006 Flight line checks will not catch every problem. Take it from a senior instructor who has FLCed 100+ static-line students in a day ... by the end of the day, you get pretty bleary eyed and tend to "see what you expect to see." I prefer the casual North American attitude where we casually glance at each other's gear and tease each other about loose shoe laces, etc. I hate to say how many times I have teased guys about walking to the plane with cutaway handles folded under, etc. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 2 #6 April 28, 2006 Is this a good time for me to renew my occasional bitching that modern rigs should have belly bands, too, instead of just a single chest strap, for just this reason - a single point of simple error that could spell so much potential disaster, so building-in a bit of redundancy would be a good thing? Sigh. I know I'm wasting my time. The market drives the products. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fcajump 164 #7 April 28, 2006 QuoteIs this a good time for me to renew my occasional bitching that modern rigs should have belly bands, too, instead of just a single chest strap, for just this reason - a single point of simple error that could spell so much potential disaster, so building-in a bit of redundancy would be a good thing? Sigh. I know I'm wasting my time. The market drives the products. Actually, I've been thinking of adding a belly band for the comfort factor, but this would be a good reason too... (I like feeling GLUED IN!!) JimAlways remember that some clouds are harder than others... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fcajump 164 #8 April 28, 2006 QuoteJust posting a stupid mistake I made, so others can learn without having to be as lucky as I was. Chest strap wasn't done up correctly and I found out under canopy. Here's the story... 4. And I should have had a flightline check from another jumper (as is the rule in my country) which should have also spotted it Felt stupid for doing it. Feel a bit better for sharing my stupidity. Don't be as daft as me please. First, THANKS for sharing. You're not the first, you won't be the last, but you might have kept someone here from doing so this year. Reminder to us all: Don't forget the pilot. (http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2199198;#2199198) JimAlways remember that some clouds are harder than others... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
parachutist 2 #9 April 29, 2006 QuoteIs this a good time for me to renew my occasional bitching that modern rigs should have belly bands, too, No. redundancy to me means: Use the time on the ride to altitude to check your chest strap multiple times. (instead of joking with the scared tandem passenger about the passenger cutaway handle, etc.) Even when riding to 13.5 on a really fast King Air. I've found time to check all my handles/straps and a student's... and go over the dive flow with him/her. There's really no excuse for not making a habit of this. Chris Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Extrakt 0 #10 May 1, 2006 I did this once but someone noticed before i got on the plane. I also now have no helmet for similar reasons...doh! "If murder and suicide are illegal, then why is it ok to kill yourself and others with cigarettes?????" www.myspace.com/Hypoxicmusic Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob.dino 1 #11 May 1, 2006 QuoteI also now have no helmet for similar reasons...doh! The video is absolutely hilarious. You look like a kid that's just had their ice cream stolen . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Squeak 17 #12 May 3, 2006 QuoteQuoteI also now have no helmet for similar reasons...doh! The video is absolutely hilarious. You look like a kid that's just had their ice cream stolen . And his mates dytterYou are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky) My Life ROCKS! How's yours doing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
