Gear check, gear check..

[chopchop 0]

All I can say is gear check, gear check, gear check.. A week ago Sunday, before the fire, I had a cutaway. My right riser was not attached when I deployed. No one has any idea how it happened but I am pretty sure I put my rig on that way. It was my second jump of the day on that rig. It was not obvious but apparently the cutaway handle had been pulled and somehow reseated prior to me putting on my rig. I am very protective of my handles, checking them often on the ground and in the plane. Now I also check to make sure that my cable is threaded through the string..

I was doing tandem videos all morning and I think it may have occurred when I was rushing to remove my rig in the landing area before the tandem landed. Anyway, I missed something that caused me a problem and now I am rubbing my thumbs on the insides of my risers as part of my gear check on the plane.

Has anyone on here had a mal like that? Handle seated but one riser released?

chopchop
gotta go... Plaything needs a spanking..

Lotsa Pictures

[kelpdiver 2]

did that deploy hurt, or did the canopy never manage to fully open?

[chopchop 0]

It was actually quite mellow.. I pitched, never felt a jerk or anything on my right shoulder and then I was spinning on my back videoing my feet by my left riser. It was obvious right away what the problem was so I spent very little time with the main (maybe one full revolution judging by the video) . The SMART reserve opened softly and on-heading. I chose to land near my stuff in some hills and had a sweet stand up landing despite my relatively high wing loading.

I guess I was due.. It had been 1,095 jumps since my last cutaway..

chopchop
gotta go... Plaything needs a spanking..

Lotsa Pictures

[livenletfly 0]

whoah thats crazy stuff. do you have the proper amount of cable length? i see your gear is new and modern. icon if your info is correct.
im pretty good about gear checks. i do a full check of everything before i start my day. but then its usually just main pin, handles, bridle before each jump. sometimes ive thought why am i inspecting my 3 rings and cable routing? they should be the same as last time considering i havent changed canopy's or chopped. but your malfunction is exactly why!
thanks for sharing

>

[happythoughts 0]

Have a rigger make sure that your handle is the correct one for that rig. At the convention 2 years ago, there was a girl on my load with the wrong handle. The ball was snugged up against the handle and was very tight. The Javelin rep grounded it immediately. The rigger had put in the incorrect handle.

I have also seen people with the excess cable between the two layers of webbing in the velcro (intentionally or not).

In either case, when the jumper arches, the webbing flexes and pulls the cable.

[bodypilot1 0]

Glad it worked out ok for you.
Have some of the students you signed off to jumpmaster themselves give you a gear check, next time you board the plane lead by example.



Be safe.
Ed

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[sundevil777 102]

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had a sweet stand up landing despite my relatively high wing loading.

over 2.0 is... relatively high

I would think that maybe the handle was never pulled, maybe you just pulled the end out at the riser, as you said, when you took the rig off.

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

[chopchop 0]

Quite a few people way more experienced than myself checked it out thoroughly afterwards.. Length of the cord, flexing, etc. We found nothing wrong with the equipment. As far as we can tell, this was purely a function of mishandling the gear and then failing to catch the problem in my usual gear checks. I just felt it was a good idea to post it to remind everyone that a detailed gear check can save you a reserve ride.. or much worse.

I consider myself quite lucky that it didn't snag on any of my camera gear - i had my still camera, video and camera jacket on.. also that it happened on opening.. not hanging up until turning onto final..

chopchop
gotta go... Plaything needs a spanking..

Lotsa Pictures

[DeNReN 0]

Learning Q here.....

How far past the loop does the yellow cutaway cable extend on your rig?

Does the cutaway cable form to the contour of a rig after time?

Sorry for the newb Q's but I just got my new rig and when the risers are disconnected....those yellow cutaway cables stick up......way up..unless of course tucked under the riser flaps.

[kevinwhelan 0]

Just a question.
How easy would it be to miss this when packing? I would have imagined that it would be pretty obvious when you put tension on the lines and also as you stowed the risers.

"be honest with yourself. Why do I want to go smaller? It is not going to make my penis longer." ~Brian Germain, on downsizing

[kingbunky 3]

we were taught a little rhyme to check the riser connections early in our training: papa ring, mama ring, baby ring, piece of string, yellow thing, and if you have an rsl, it's 'the other thing'. as i rhyme off each part i check to see it is in the proper position. i run through that as part of my check before i put the rig on, every time. works great!

edited to add: glad to hear it all worked out well for you. lesson learned, complacency can kill.

"Hang on a sec, the young'uns are throwin' beer cans at a golf cart."
MB4252 TDS699
killing threads since 2001

[riggerrob 643]

I usually do a "3 of 3s check" a couple of minutes before exit.
... was starting to wonder if checking 3-rings was silly.
I stand corrected.

[chopchop 0]

Yup.. check everything.. Ya just never know.. As someone else said on here, it seems kinda silly to make sure your 3-ring is still hooked up properly, especially after you just jumped the rig an hour ago.. but apparently there is a good reason..

BTW.. I have 2 of these rigs. They are identical. First jump on them was January 1st of this year. I have a total of 165 jumps on them. The cable seems to be suficiently long. I am quite happy with the equipment.

chopchop
gotta go... Plaything needs a spanking..

Lotsa Pictures

[Orange1 0]

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lead by example.

This really is the best way to get students to do it. I've noticed a lot of experienced jumpers don't do the 1000' check that students are taught to; but the guy with (I think) the most jumps on one of my DZs always does, and thoroughly. I watched him do it, and promised myself that I would always, too.
We were also taught to check the rigs fully every time before we put them on, no matter if we or a packer has packed... beginning with making sure the rings are properly hooked up and the cables are where they should be... it's already a habit, and a habit I plan to keep. This thread helps remind me why. Complacency and skydiving do not go well together.

Skydiving: wasting fossil fuels just for fun.

[hookncrater 0]

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I've noticed a lot of experienced jumpers don't do the 1000' check that students are taught to

Never heard of that one before. What does it entail?

________________________________________________________________________________
when in doubt... hook it!

[Pendejo 0]

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Yup.. check everything.. Ya just never know.. As someone else said on here, it seems kinda silly to make sure your 3-ring is still hooked up properly, especially after you just jumped the rig an hour ago.. but apparently there is a good reason..

I agree! One of our video guys will drive you nuts about it till you either get a full gear check (or give him one depending on who is on the load you or him). At first it seemed silly to get a full check when I was on the plane less than an hour before, but after it became habit its no big deal really (to get or give a full check).

Pendejo

He who swoops the ditch and does not get out buys the BEER!!

[Orange1 0]

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I've noticed a lot of experienced jumpers don't do the 1000' check that students are taught to

Never heard of that one before. What does it entail?

Both my local DZs do it. Checking your goggles, helmet, 3-rings, chest strap, handles, leg straps and ripcord/BoC are all as they should be (& SL students get hooked up at 1000' and check that the SL is securely attached to the strongpoint)...and yes, this is after you check your rig before putting it on, after a gear check before boarding, and you still do a pin check before exit.

Skydiving: wasting fossil fuels just for fun.

[kelpdiver 2]

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Both my local DZs do it. Checking your goggles, helmet, 3-rings, chest strap, handles, leg straps and ripcord/BoC are all as they should be (& SL students get hooked up at 1000' and check that the SL is securely attached to the strongpoint)...and yes, this is after you check your rig before putting it on, after a gear check before boarding, and you still do a pin check before exit.

At 1000ft we're removing our seat belts and helmets for the rest of the ride up. Most, but unfortunately not all, are ready to jump (minus goggles, maybe helmet) when they board the plane.

[billvon 3,006]

>Checking your goggles, helmet, 3-rings, chest strap, handles, leg
>straps and ripcord/BoC are all as they should be . . . (at 1000 feet)

Perhaps the "do I have everything?" check could be done as soon as you sit down. It is good to realize you forgot your helmet, but by 1000 feet it's too late to do anything about it.

While we're on the subject of gear checks, I have noticed lately that some people do pin checks after the door is open. I think this is a bad idea. In the unlikely event that the checker grabs both the bridle and the pin protector flap before opening it, you may end up with an open main container, and that's a bad thing to have with an open door.

[justinb138 0]

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While we're on the subject of gear checks, I have noticed lately that some people do pin checks after the door is open. I think this is a bad idea. In the unlikely event that the checker grabs both the bridle and the pin protector flap before opening it, you may end up with an open main container, and that's a bad thing to have with an open door.

Thanks for mentioning that Bill, I ended up in that situation this last weekend.

We had the door open from 1000' up (damn hot here), and I asked another jumper for a pin check shortly before I got out for a hop n pop, with the door open at the time. A friend talked to me about it after the jump and mentioned that it probably wasn't a good idea, so I'll just close the door for a second when I get a pin check next time...

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[Orange1 0]

[replyAt 1000ft we're removing our seat belts and helmets for the rest of the ride up. Most, but unfortunately not all, are ready to jump (minus goggles, maybe helmet) when they board the plane.

[goose491 0]

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How easy would it be to miss this when packing? I would have imagined that it would be pretty obvious when you put tension on the lines and also as you stowed the risers.

I thought the same thing... then I remembered that some people set packing weights right on the risers instead of in the main pack tray. This is done because it's easy to keep the risers together and thusly even. But if the packing weight is sitting on your risers, said risers won't come off the rig when you run your hands up the lines.

... How you miss the teflon cable sticking out when stowing the risers is up to you though.

Anyway, glad this turned out okay. I'm picturing the same scenario but where the left side is released... and there's an RSL attached.

My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

[chopchop 0]

I usually don't pack for myself, especially when I am busy doing work jumps. I am not sure how it stayed on during packing.. cuz my packer does not use weights.. unless it happened after.. but I can't figure out when it could have happened after.

chopchop
gotta go... Plaything needs a spanking..

Lotsa Pictures