vanessalh 0 #1 July 10, 2013 I almost died today. Well, Sunday actually.I've thought long and hard about what happened, and feel I need to share this with all my skydiver friends. Please read, spend some time thinking about your safety procedures and stay alive for many more jumps. http://skysmurf.com/blog/2013/7/8/i-almost-died-today Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildcard451 0 #3 July 10, 2013 ...while a mis-routed chest strap is of concern, this is ridiculously blown up and over-dramatized. Someone caught your gear error prior to even boarding the plane. You did not "almost die".The guy who tried to re-route his chest strap in freefall and had a cypres fire...he almost died. The guy in incidents who pulled low and landed 2 seconds after his slider came down...he almost died. Be more careful next time. This is a prime example of why we always need to look out for our friends. None of us are perfect. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bluhdow 31 #4 July 10, 2013 wildcard451 ...while a mis-routed chest strap is of concern, this is ridiculously blown up and over-dramatized. Someone caught your gear error prior to even boarding the plane. You did not "almost die".The guy who tried to re-route his chest strap in freefall and had a cypres fire...he almost died. The guy in incidents who pulled low and landed 2 seconds after his slider came down...he almost died. Be more careful next time. This is a prime example of why we always need to look out for our friends. None of us are perfect. +1Apex BASE #1816 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peek 21 #5 July 10, 2013 vanessalhPlease read, spend some time thinking about your safety procedures and stay alive for many more jumps. http://skysmurf.com/blog/2013/7/8/i-almost-died-today Vanessa, thank you very much for that posting and link to your blog. I particularly liked the section "This could never happen to me" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cavscout73 0 #6 July 10, 2013 Sounds like a good lesson learned on gear checks .. I made that mistake once at around jump 50 trying to rush to get on a load. caught it on a final check before exiting.. As I was told after the jump by experienced jumpers ” its a fairly common mistake that is made once... After that you will always check, recheck and check again” And for about 350ish jumps since that has held very true and always will . Near death experience, I would say no .. Made a mistake and now have had a great learning experience is the bottom line of it all.. Gear checks, do them on yourself and fellow jumpers! Just my .02 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DHemer 0 #7 July 10, 2013 Thanks for sharing For this reason one of the experienced jumpers at my DZ randomly grabs peoples chest straps to see they are routed correctly Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FreeFallFiend 0 #8 July 10, 2013 DHemerThanks for sharing For this reason one of the experienced jumpers at my DZ randomly grabs peoples chest straps to see they are routed correctly I like the intent but not the practice. Please dont ever put your hands on me or my gear without permission. After the FL incident where the WSer came out of his harness skydivers suddenly thought it was ok to constantly rub and pat my thighs to make sure my leg straps were on. I appreciate the intent, but it doesn't justify that particular execution.Fiend I am about to take my last voyage, a great leap in the dark. - Thomas Hobbes. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,990 #9 July 10, 2013 Good post overall, just one point to make: "If your chest strap is not correctly routed you will fall out of your rig when you deploy your parachute." No, you generally won't. I've jumped with a misrouted chest strap and only realized it after I opened up and heard the "tink tink tink" of the empty friction adapter blowing around in the wind. Why is this important? There was a recent incident where someone got very, very low caused by spending too much time trying to rethread a chest strap. It's not worth going in to solve a problem that likely will not kill you. If you deploy in a "normal" body position, with arms way out in front of you, your rig can't come off unless it slides all the way up your arms - and that's very unusual with a rig that fits well. And if that's an issue you can cross your arms over your chest, although this can actually _increase_ the odds of falling out by causing a head down deployment - so don't do this unless you've practiced flying face-down this way. So overall very good points, and the very best way to deal with a misrouted/unrouted chest strap is to not have one to begin with. But in the unfortunate event that you find out about it in freefall - don't think that you are dead unless you get it routed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vanessalh 0 #10 July 11, 2013 Thanks Peek, glad you found it helpful. I find that as I get more experience I need to guard against the 'it can never happen to mes' that assault me... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vanessalh 0 #11 July 11, 2013 Yes, good clarification - there are ways to (mostly) safely deploy when you discover you don't have your chest strap routed properly in freefall. Grabbing opposite mudflap when deploying is one of them. Trying to stuff your chest strap in and lose altitude awareness and have an AAD fire is NOT one of them :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vanessalh 0 #12 July 11, 2013 Or to tweak what we're all taught in AFF: "Pull Pull at the right altitude Pull with your chest strap properly done" Don't sacrifice the first two for the last one :) billvon, I'm interested in some more of your thought on crossing left after and grabbing mud flaps. Sounds like you think it's actually safer to deploy in a normal body position with an unrouted chest strap? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JeffCa 0 #13 July 11, 2013 DHemerFor this reason one of the experienced jumpers at my DZ randomly grabs peoples chest straps to see they are routed correctly I do that too, to the young ladies. They keep screaming for me to get lost. I try to explain that it's for their own safety. "So many fatalities and injuries are caused by decisions jumpers make before even getting into the aircraft. Skydiving can be safe AND fun at the same time...Honest." - Bill Booth Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nigel99 466 #14 July 11, 2013 Something that Michael Vaughan taught us on the canopy course - if you can see metal on someone's chest-strap it is most likely properly connectedThink about it and have a look at both correctly and incorrectly routed chest straps - you can see it from across the aircraft - no need to grab anything. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bertt 0 #15 July 11, 2013 Thank you and FreeFallFiend for that. For one thing, it's kind of annoying to see people grabbing other people's gear without asking first. Secondly, there's more than one way to misroute a chest strap. Pulling on it isn't the way to check it. Looking at it, and seeing what you're looking at, is more effective.You don't have to outrun the bear. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NorrinRadd 0 #16 July 11, 2013 As a rank newbie, I very much appreciate this post. Thanks!Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DcloudZ 0 #17 July 11, 2013 Aww... the title of this thread was misleading "Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way." -Alan Watts Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airdvr 210 #18 July 11, 2013 DcloudZ Aww... the title of this thread was misleading ^This^ Should read I almost jumped with my chest strap misrouted. I was expecting a NSTIWTIWGD story.Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NorrinRadd 0 #19 July 11, 2013 airdvr ***Aww... the title of this thread was misleading ^This^ Should read I almost jumped with my chest strap misrouted. I was expecting a NSTIWTIWGD story. A who what? (Rank newbie here)Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildcard451 0 #20 July 11, 2013 NorrinRadd ******Aww... the title of this thread was misleading ^This^ Should read I almost jumped with my chest strap misrouted. I was expecting a NSTIWTIWGD story. A who what? (Rank newbie here) No Shit There I Was Thought I Was Gonna Die Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NorrinRadd 0 #21 July 11, 2013 lol! Nice! Thanks :)Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FlyBear 1 #22 July 11, 2013 Been there, done that. It was my jump number 25. Still rental gear, so it was mandatory to get checked by an instructor. He saw my mistake and just asked "Do you want to die today?". That's something I'll never forget. Since then I'm checking my chest strap at least 100 times before exit I bet that won't happen to you again BlueS Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
danornan 79 #23 July 11, 2013 It's never a good idea to jump without a chest strap.... or one that is mis-routed or not attached correctly. But, that being said, unless you have a really bad opening or bad body position, you are not going to fall out of your parachute if the chest strap is either mis-routed or just not attached. Once more, it's never a good idea, and I always check mine and as many around me as possible before boarding. Quite a few years ago, I simply ran the chest strap over the buckle and for some odd reason looped it through the elastic keeper. No one caught it and my first indication of a problem was after opening, a missing altimeter that was on my chest strap, before I got on the airplane. I'm not the first and surely won't be the last to do this and I do appreciate your "there I was story" in hopes that it will prevent someone else from being careless.Dano Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
devildog 0 #24 July 11, 2013 wildcard451 ...while a mis-routed chest strap is of concern, this is ridiculously blown up and over-dramatized. Someone caught your gear error prior to even boarding the plane. You did not "almost die".The guy who tried to re-route his chest strap in freefall and had a cypres fire...he almost died. The guy in incidents who pulled low and landed 2 seconds after his slider came down...he almost died. Be more careful next time. This is a prime example of why we always need to look out for our friends. None of us are perfect. +1You stop breathing for a few minutes and everyone jumps to conclusions. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,990 #25 July 12, 2013 >Sounds like you think it's actually safer to deploy in a normal body position with an >unrouted chest strap? If you can fly stably with your head up and your arms crossed over your chest - that's a safer way to deploy with a questionable chest strap, IMO. If you cannot do this, and crossing your arms will cause you to go head down, leading to an unstable and potentially more violent deployment - then it is safer to NOT do that. Again IMO. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites