spinning malfunction

[WmLauterbach 0]

sunday afternoon, everyting going well ALL weekend.......
then wham....
I didnt think a parachute could spiral that fast!

Then had a HARD pull on the cutaway handle... learned a lesson, (if you have mini-risers and an eliptical main, you need to have the hard housings for your risers) I have heard about how hard/fast/violent this kind of mal can be, but DAMN.... I guess you never know until you have the misfortune of seeing for yourself...
I was surprised at the pressure needed to pull the cutaway handle...

nothing like a malfunction to remind you that no-one is invinsible.............


Blue Skies
Billy

[Spy38W 0]

Hard housings are great. I got mine and put them in 2 days before I had my spinner.
It was definitely worse than I imagined it would be, my ProTrack didn't stop logging the jump until my reserve opened, and showed a deployment altitude of.. well, lower than I ever wish to see again.

Glad you made it through yours ok.

--
Hook high, flare on time

[WmLauterbach 0]

I threw out around 3500... so I could play for a few extra turns...


well........ I got a few extra turns!

I was wearing a sidewinder, and rewatched the video about 40 times that evening trying to figure out what coulda' been done different. Looking at the time code, from opening shock to opening shock took about 12 seconds...


I think the guy that packed the reserve drinks tequila....

Blue Skies..........

[Craig 0]

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Then had a HARD pull on the cutaway handle... learned a lesson, (if you have mini-risers and an eliptical main, you need to have the hard housings for your risers) I have heard about how hard/fast/violent this kind of mal can be, but DAMN.... I guess you never know until you have the misfortune of seeing for yourself...
I was surprised at the pressure needed to pull the cutaway handle...

Were your risers twisted up down to your cutaway housings (if so do you have hard cutaway housings in your risers?), or was the cutaway just difficult due to the g-loading being applied to the three rings? Just curious

[ifallout 0]

then it sounds like you need to buy him some.. :-)

Bill

have fun, love life, be nice to the humans

[hobbes4star 0]

congrats on being able to talk about it. good job getting rid of it. You should get the rigger some cuervo

if fun were easy it wouldn't be worth having, right?

[billvon 2,990]

>was the cutaway just difficult due to the g-loading being
>applied to the three rings?

Soft housings have gotten a reputation for hard cutaways even from reasonably mild mals.

[drenaline 0]

Whats better in those situation, try to cut away or use the hook knife? yep a newbie question.
sorry for using this thread to ask this, but am very curious.

HISPA 21
www.panamafreefall.com

[jams 0]

Oh a hypothetical question.... Yo, i would hate to have to hack away a spin... it's around $200 to reline a canopy.... but then again, your life is way more precious! You should use the cut away handle but if you cant get it to release after two hard tries, maybe you don't have a choice. Be aware of your altitude! The problem is you would have to cut all the lines together. Then again, in a spin, that would be easier as they are all together anyway. If you cut just one side, you will be in a streamer falling faster, with only laundry overhead. Under the decision altitude you don't have time to clear anything. i would hate to launch a reserve into that kind of laundry unless there is no choice. But don't spend the rest of your life trying to fix it! Just keep in mind, sometimes there is no choice, pull the *"#^*! silver handle.... then get busy pulling down the #*! main. What ever you do, don't give up, keep trying. And prepare for a PLF...

m
~ a temporary reconfiguration of stardust

[Remster 30]

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Soft housings have gotten a reputation for hard cutaways even from reasonably mild mals.

I'm not sure we're all talking about the same thing here....

Are we talking about soft housing (as in the fabric and teflon based housing taht the cuaway cables run from the handles to the 3 rings) or are we talking about riser inserts (plastic sleeves to insert in the risers where the end the the cuyaway cables live)?

Remster

[WmLauterbach 0]

...the place where the last few inches of cable live, on the back of the riser

[Kirils 1]

Question...were you using an RSL??

"Slow down! You are too young
to be moving that fast!"

Old Man Crawfish

[billvon 2,990]

>Are we talking about soft housing or are we talking about riser
>inserts?

Not sure - I assumed the issue was soft housings, but looking back he probably meant riser inserts.

[Hooknswoop 19]

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the place where the last few inches of cable live, on the back of the riser

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Plastic or metal (I like the metal) inserts make a difference if the risers are twisted. There has also been some research on the excess cutaway cable being "grabbed" by the riser and the tape sewn onto the back of the riser to stow the excess cable.

If I was unable to pull the cutaway handle, I would use my hook knife to cut a both front and rear risers, just above the 3 ring, which should allow for an easy cutaway to release the other side riser.

There is some things you can do to help prevent hard cutaways:

1. Use the large 3 rings.
2. Don't jump small high performance canopies.
3. Use the metal (or plastic) inserts on the back of your risers.
4. Clean your cutaway cables every 30 days.
5. Massage your 3 rings every 30 days (to prevent them from taking on a "set").
6. Use hard housings instead of soft housings.
7. If your canopy spins up, cutaway immediately, before it gets worse.
8. Maintain your gear to prevent malfunctions
9. Pack carefully to prevent malfunctions.
10. Have a good body position on deployment to prevent malfunctions.
11. Replace your risers periodically.
12. Inspect your cutaway cables for nicks, kinks, and cracks. Replace your cutaway handle if it is not in good shape.

Hook

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