Aircraft Emergencies!

[cyberskydive 0]

Well, with safety day in a few weeks, thought I would post this. Yesterday while at the DZ there was a newly graduated student out for a few jumps. At my home DZ after you finish your Level seven AFF, you are required to make 2 pop-n-packs, one from 5.5, one from 3.5 as "confidence builders".
Anyhow, during this guys last hop-n-pop, the pilot somewhat simulated having problems with the plane, and the student pretty much didnt even notice. Just for the record, YES he was trained properly. He knew what he should have done once de-briefed later. So to get to the point,
do you know what to do in the event of an aircraft emergency?
D.Chisolm C-28534
webmaster@sunraydesigns.com
http://www.sunraydesigns.com

[OmriMon 0]

jump?
Free Skies,
Omri

[grasshopper 0]

if I have to bail because a pilot is "simulating" an aircraft emergency, I'm going to be PISSED. If I bail out on my reserve because of altitude, and it is not a bona fide emergency, watch out

[cyberskydive 0]

OK-LOL- everyone knew but the student, and they were on jumprun, over the DZ.
D.Chisolm C-28534
webmaster@sunraydesigns.com
http://www.sunraydesigns.com

[Craig 0]

First off listen to the pilot, he is in command of the ship (or jumpmaster, who should get directions from pilot). At my DZ it goes something like this, for students anyhow. Under 1,000ft be prepared to land with the plane. Above 1,000ft be prepared to exit if informed to do so. What you decide to deploy (main/reserve) is dependant on your gear and altitude. Do you use a bungee collapsable PC? They usually are not as efficient at low airspeeds. Do you have a CYPRES? It will not operate until the aircraft reaches 1,500ft, but do you want to risk a fire if you are exiting low and you main decides to snivel? Personally, at or below 1,500ft, the reserve sounds pretty tempting IMO. Another aircraft emergency could be a pilot chute deployment in the aircraft. If yours comes out and is heading for the door, follow it! If someone elses is heading for the door, help them out the door (read-push if necessary). This could not only injure the jumper, but pull them through the side of the aircraft and take the whole thing down. I might have missed something, this is just what came to mind first.
Craig

[Zennie 0]

I was taught to always follow the pilot's instructions, but the following general guidelines apply....
0-1500': You're prolly going to ride down.
1500'-2500': Get out & immediately pull reserve.
Above 2500': Get out & pull main.
------------
Blue Skies!
Zennie

[Iflyme 0]

Ya, I think Zennie has it bang on - but what if that student in the simulate emerg had done something wrong, and was injured or killed because of it??? What if he panicked, went out the door, and never pulled? I know - too many what-if's... but what if???

[cyberskydive 0]

You kinda had to be there, he wouldnt have made out out the door. The pilot didnt let it go on very long either, just long enough to get an initial reaction. What if it was real??
D.Chisolm C-28534
webmaster@sunraydesigns.com
http://www.sunraydesigns.com

[skyhawk 2]

yep i aggree with Zennie but also students r different

[miked10270 0]

In an aircraft emergency we get to go call for help, that's why we have parachutes .
Seriously, if it's genuine then look to the JM if one is nominated, failing that look to the most experienced local on the lift.
If you're the JM then you should look to the pilot.
DON'T just automatically make your decision based on your alti reading. Apart from Holland, many DZs have hills or mountains nearby and unless you KNOW EXACTLY where you are, then just because your alti says 1,500ft that doesn't mean that you're that high above the ground, it means you're that high above the DZ. ALso appreciate that in a genuine emergency the aircraft is unlikely to be directly over (or even near) the DZ.
In most cases, the pilot will want you out, but there are situations where the pilot will want weight in the aircraft and remember the object of the exercise is to get the whole lift (including the aircraft & pilot) down as safe as possible.
If you are going out, then can I suggest that under 8,000ft you do a clear & pull, or at least open by 7,000ft. The reason for this is that as I said previously the aircraft is unlikely to be over the DZ and you're probably going to regret opening at 2,000ft only to find yourself over something like "The World's Largest Alligator Farm"!! Seriously, while it may entail a LONG canopy ride, altitude translates into time & hence into distance in these situations and this gives you the best chance of making it back to the DZ (to get help, remember ) or to scope out somewhere nice & safe & civilised to land.
This brings me quite neatly to another subject close to my heart - outlandings. A pullup and a couple of bungees in my jumpsuit pocket ahve saved me a fair amount of discomfort on the walk back from outlandings - land, trashpack (enough to get the rig closed) and then you're just carrying your rig instead of the canopy still open - just don't spend 45 minutes on the super-neat pack job, a decent DZO will have folk out looking for you.
One tale springs to mind from a few years back at a North England DZ. It started with a MAJOR outlanding (like 2 miles) which was only saved by landing near a pub. In go our 2 heroes and they know the barman. Well, there's only one thing to do in a situation like that... Have a pint.
Unfortunately, the search party didn't know our heroes well enough and drive around looking over walls and into fields instead of in pubs (don't send non-skydivers out on searches)! Anyway, 2 pints later (that's about 45 minutes), our heroes notice familiar looking cars hurtling up & down the road past the pub and decide that it would be a good idea to 'phone the DZ... but they don't have any money (notice that didn't stop them drinking). They're finally found about 10 minutes later by one of their wives/girlfriends who's greeted with a request to settle their bar bill (well, they couldn't leave without paying).
Mike D10270.

[Ralf 0]

Most of the replies have good information. Here are a few significant items to add. The most commen a/c emergency that skydive airplanes have are out of gas or stall.
If it is out of gas, the airplane becomes a glider! Gliders do best when the load does not shift and the airflow over them is smooth! That means "Do Not Open the Door!" unless ordered by the pilot and don't move around. Opening the door can make it impossible for the pilot to get back to the airport when he could otherwise.
For the stall, lots of it depends. Stalls are often followed by sharp turns and you may be pinned in the aircraft. If outside (jump run), let go and clear the airplane. Generally, for stalls, the pilot will want the weight forward so he can recover. Talk to the pilot! My guess is that if you are on jump run and near the door (rear of the aircraft), he would like you to exit. If you are forward, the pilot would like you to stay put and not run aft and cause a weight and balance problem.
Major structual damage. The aircraft stops flying so get out ASAP!
Major fire, I would think about a quick exit.

[FallingMarc 0]

Just something else to think about on this topic, especially for newer skydivers or those unfamiliar with flying in general--a stall happens when the wing stops providing lift, which can be caused by airspeed becoming too low and/or the angle of attack becoming too high. On jumprun, the pilot lowers the airspeed while everyone gets out. On larger planes, if everybody runs to the back of the plane while the pilot cuts the speed back, this could cause a stall(airspeed is low, weight shifts back, nose pitches up). The weight needs to be farther towards the front of the plane to keep this from happening, or to help the pilot come out of a stall. This is also why it's important for the weight to be balanced and not shifting on takeoff, when the plane is near its stall speed anyway. Moral of the story, I think: don't fight your way to the door, keep the weight shifting out the door smoothly. And of course, the pilot-in-command has the final say on anything you do in the plane.
'Course, I'm still jumping from a 182. But then again, I was a pilot long before I was a skydiver...