I’ve been unfortunate enough to have had a similar experience! Mine started off as the extra bit of velcro being the whole problem though… When being checked out a guy said my pad wasn’t properly stowed – he then ‘sorted it’ for me and when I did a (now I know to be insufficient!) check by feeling there was tension again (ie velcro holding it securely) we were off in the plane. First part of the jump (ff) was fine, then at one point I ended up bringing my knees up which was enough to dislodge the pad. The guys I was jumping with then signalled to me (thanks again Dan!) – I looked down and saw the pad flapping about, so I grabbed it, flipped onto my belly and deployed my main whilst holding the reserve pad. I didn’t think about it- it was my instant reaction to just hold it and dump my main asap. With hindsight for reasons already said I should’ve just pulled it the rest of the way but it was done before I thought about that – the thought came into my head as my main was deploying then I had to do the same – stow it carefully then bimble back to the ground with not much movement just incase… fortunately the pin hadn’t moved at all.
It’s all very well people saying they would pull the reserve and for some people that would be true for sure, but like one guy has said you never know until it happens! In the heat of the moment you sometimes don’t have the same methodical thinking –personally I gave it next to none – I didn’t have time, it was towards the end of the jump so time to get a canopy - I couldn’t try the superman skills Hossein pulled off over 6k! ;-)
When looking at my kit we could see what had happened; when the guy tried to help by re-stowing my pad, he did not put it back properly between the velcro (I jump a Mirage G3 which has an edge with velcro, bit in the middle with the other part of the velcro, then the other edge where nothing should be inbetween – not sure why its there! –bad explanation but hopefully you know what I mean?!). The velcro was together and my pad stowed in the random extra bit, but as the velcro hadn’t gone back together in line there was enough velcro to hold some resistance with my pad.
Two solutions for me – one I put Velcro straight on to cover the bit that isn’t used, and two…. I don’t let anyone near my pads – if they say it’s not right I’d take my rig off and fix it myself which is what I should’ve done – it’s my own fault I know! Bit worrying though that yours came out by someone’s foot?! Thought that wasn’t supposed to be possible with the pad! Anyone else ever have a pad come out in freefall for a reason other that it not being stowed right in the first place or someone pulling it?!
