| Glider Air Miss A 4 way training dive took place on a warm summer afternoon
with significant thermal activity; there was scattered cloud (1 2 eighths)
at around 6,000ft, otherwise, visibility was fine. At between 5,000 and
6,000ft the 4 way group narrowly missed colliding with a soaring glider;
separation was estimated at 30 meters. The glider was recorded on air
to air video but was not identified. It was within 300 metres of the
drop zone.
Comment: The glider should not have been there, but jumpers
should be aware that gliders are not required to have radio or navigational
facilities. Nearly all operate under Visual Flight Rules, though, which
means they should never enter cloud. Given this, and despite the presence
of some cloud at that altitude, it is surprising that it was not seen
either by DZ control or the jumpmaster.
Conclusion: Most jumpers will admit privately that they don't always
look as thoroughly as they should. And it is a fact that we often see
what we expect to see, and conversely, may not see what we don't expect
to see. This could easily have been a multiple fatality; DZ controllers
and jumpmaster's must be aware of the need to make sure it really is
'clear to drop'.
Stand Up Deployment
A Category 9 AFF graduate was on a solo descent and attempted
a 'stand up' in freefall. As he did so, his main parachute deployed.
He landed successfully.
Comment: It is impossible to be certain what happened even
the jumper's recollection is often faulty in such cases but it is assumed
that turbulence at the base of the container pulled out the pilot chute,
which (though not specifically stated in the report) was presumably a
bottom of container (BOC) type.
Conclusion: The conclusion locally was that jumpers should not do stand
ups when using throwaway pilot chutes, but this seems rather sweeping!
It is more likely that the pilot chute was already deployed as a result
of either packing error or disturbance in the plane or at exit. However,
BOC deployment is relatively new and free stylists ( and sit flyers)
should perhaps consider an extra pre exit check.
Handle in Tow
A fairly recent D licence jumper did a solo cloud base descent
from 3,500ft wearing a rig with pullout deployment. At pull time he lost
the pad; the pin had in fact been extracted but the pilot chute was still
on the container and failed to inflate in the 'burble'. After an unsuccessful
attempt to reach for the pilot chute or handle, he cut away, pulled his
reserve handle and landed safely under his reserve.
Comment: Some jumpers strongly maintain you can retrieve a
handle in tow, but this is at least difficult, and is complicated by
the fact that you have no way of knowing how far deployment has proceeded,
or indeed whether something else is stopping deployment. A more experienced
jumper might have tried a steeper body position to try to sweep the pilot
chute out, but then you could go on trying that for the rest of your
life!
Conclusion: Jumpers using pullout should regularly consider what they
would do in such a situation, which can happen to anybody. Some jumpers
still dispute whether you should cut away before pulling your reserve
but most would say yes and in this case, with the pin out, the shock
of the reserve opening might well have inflated the main into the reserve.
Low Hook Turns
In separate incidents at two different drop zones, jumpers
attempted late turns into wind when too low. One landed on his side and
was fortunate to suffer only heavy bruising. The other suffered multiple
injuries including fractures to vertebrae, pelvis and ribs. Both were
very experienced, one exceptionally so and both were under very high
performance canopies.
Comment: In both cases the reported weather was perfect; there
should have been no problem landing safely. On the other hand, high spirits
after a good dive on a lovely day are just the sort of factors that lead
to this sort of display
Conclusion: The dangers of radical maneuvers near the ground, particularly
under 'hot' canopies, are well documented and have been the subject
of a BPA poster campaign, but jumpers continue to risk injury or
death for
no good reason. It has to be said that experienced jumpers including
some instructors and even CCls, are often culprits. Not surprising
that lesser mortals try to emulate them.
Power Line Landing
A Category 10, C licence holder was making an early morning
balloon jump in ideal conditions near, but not into, a major DZ. On final
approach the canopy hit a set of high tension cables and finished up
wrapped round one of the cables by the pilot chute. The jumper was unhurt.
Comment: Though not stated, this was probably the jumper’s
first experience of jumping outside the protected environment of a parachute
,club. She was lucky. Balloons Rive jumpers limited control over their
spot; but the same problem applies to anyone who finds they have left
the plane at the wrong place. We all get (or give) bad spots sometimes.
And power cables, particularly 11km ones, are notoriously hard to see
from the air.
Conclusion: When 'away from home' jumpers must pay special attention
to picking a suitable and safe place to land and this process must
start high. Initially it is hard to read terrain from altitude but
with practice
you can learn to interpret all available information for a better picture.
The Operations Manual states it is usually better to take a crosswind
or downwind landing than to risk hitting a hazard. You might also take
a tip from many experienced display jumpers: just before emplaning,
check where the wind is coming from and relate it to the position
of the sun.
That way you always know which way to land one less thing to worry about.
Who Needs Brakes ?
A very experienced jumper suffered a premature 'firing' of
his brake line on deployment, which completely locked the brake on that
side. He landed uneventfully.
Conclusion: Many students remain unaware that it is perfectly
possible to fly and land even a 'hot' canopy (which this was) safely
and comfortably without brakes. Once confident under canopy, all jumpers
should consider making one or two jumps using riser control only. Consult
your instructor or CCI for a brief; and make sure you are aware that
there is a considerable difference between back and front riser control
the latter is radical and can be dangerous in inexperienced hands.
Broken Lines
A highly experienced jumper had a hard opening
on an F111 canopy, resulting in one snapped line. Having decided the
canopy was flyable, the jumper elected to land it. At about 600 feet
a second line snapped. The resulting hard landing caused Injuries to
his foot and ankle resulting in a trip to the local hospital. A similar
report had another very experienced Jumper electing to fly a canopy with
two 'A' lines snapped. At flare height, the canopy collapsed and this
jumper ended up with three chipped vertebrae and a fractured pelvis.
Conclusions: The obvious conclusion to be drawn is that these
were (with hindsight) the wrong decisions. There is always the temptation
to stay with all those remaining lines and ignore the fact that one or
two have snapped. I have several more reports of broken lines and damaged
canopies this season, the difference is that all the others are 'merely'
malfunctions whilst these two, sadly, became injury reports. However
most line breaks are caused by hard, off heading openings or something
cutting the lines on opening The cutting is often the grommets on the
slider, and the slider grommets are usually dented or sharpened in the
first place by hard impact with the connector links on previous jumps,
or by poor maintenance.
Recommendations: Most modern high performance canopies with line damage
will let you know in no uncertain terms that they are not even flyable,
let alone landable. Older F111 canopies can be a little more misleading.
They may appear to be quite controllable with a few lines damaged. The
decision about what to do is a judgment call. All BPA courses have guidelines
on helping you make this decision, give this situation some thought and
if you are not sure on how to decide, ask your Chief Instructor. Most
line breaks can be prevented with a little planning. Question your openings,
if you consistently get hard, off heading openings then you need some
packing tuition. Inspect your lines and slider grommets on a regular
basis, the main area of ram air broken lines is at the connector links,
normally the outside lines and also at the cascaded points. Talk to your
rigger on how you can reduce line wear on your particular
system.
Shoddy Rigging
During a routine reserve inspection and repack
a rigger found that the reserve pilot chute had previously been used
as a main pilot chute for a few hundred jumps at least and was In general
bad condition.
Conclusions: The reserve system is a skydiver's last chance
and the pilot chute is the device that makes it possible. By using a
reserve pilot chute with deteriorated porosity, the packer is reducing
the skydiver's possibilities of surviving a malfunction.
Recommendations: The best thing to do here is find another reserve
packer, there is no excuse for this type of situation, make sure
your reserve
packer e is conscientious enough to do a thorough inspection.
Soft Housings
At the time of writing there are a few Incidents
being investigated with reference to soft housings on cutaway systems.
Many sources around the world are reporting hard pulls of the cutaway
handle during emergency procedures and there are some reports of one
riser failing to separate causing main and reserve entanglements.
Conclusions: This potential problem has been reported on rigs
that do not have a dedicated channel for the cutaway cable. For example
some rigs with soft housings have a system where the cutaway cable is
routed through a channel, which makes sure the cutaway is the same as
with a hard housing. The rigs which are presenting some concern are those
with soft housings which do not Imitate the mechanics of a hard housing
system.
Recommendations: Some manufacturers are offering retrofit systems to
convert from soft housings to hard housings on the cutaway system.
If you have soft housings that are suspect or you would just like
some reassurance
then try this test on your system: fit the rig for normal use and set
up the risers to suspend you as in a training harness, practice a normal
cutaway and reserve pull as you would expect to do it in a live emergency.
You may want to repeat this test for smaller zero porosity canopies
and have some one assist you by pulling down on the harness to increase
the
tension, as a radical malfunction will greatly increase the tension.
Tandem Malfunctions
We have eleven reports of tandem malfunctions this month.
Five of these were caused by knots in the lines preventing the slider
from deploying all the way down; three of these had standard lines and
two had microline. We have had four reports of lines breaking, all on
microline. One reserve deployment during exit and one riser releasing
during deployment.
Conclusions: Out of all these cutaways there is not one the
same, ie, every broken line was in a different place and each description
presents a different picture. However, the common factor with the broken
lines is that they were all of a microline type. In the knotted lines
cases, the knots were described very similarly and these have been reported
many times before. Reference the riser that released, both Relative Workshop
(Vector system) and Strong Enterprises have upgraded the RW 2 ring of
the three ring system to strengthen them.
Recommendations: The best recommendation here is for tandem malfunction
reports to be more in depth to assist in analysing and reporting them;
ie describe the incident in detail as much as possible with as many
facts as available, add the jumpmaster's conclusions and recommendations
to
assist with the collation and reporting. Most of the above reports
are too broad to make recommendations on; however a lot of thought
should
be put into packing tandem canopies, especially the type and condition
of the rubber bands for the nature of the lines being used.
Restricted Reserve Deployment
We have had three reports of reserve pilot chutes
being restricted during deployment prior to a reserve inspection and
repack, this is caused by packing the bridle line into the corners of
the reserve container.
Conclusions: These reports were all on different rigs and
it is interesting to note that none of the rig manuals demonstrated packing
the bridle lines this way. Although in these cases the bridle restricted
the pilot chutes from being extracted to the complete length required,
the reserve deployment would probably have been fine had it been needed.
Recommendations: There is no need to put the bridle line into the comers
so give this some thought. If in doubt, do a pull test and see how
far the pilot chute launches, if the launch can be restricted by
the bridle
line then it is not correct.
Unnecessary Total Malfunction
A container had been converted to a BOC system,
the jumper found they could not deploy the pilot chute as the pouch was
too tight. The reserve was successfully deployed.
Conclusions: This malfunction was both preventable by the
rigger who did the job and also by the owner who should have done a practice
pull on the ground.
Recommendations: If you have your equipment modified or repaired and
it involves moving handles then confirm the system by a simple practice
as if you were converting to a new rig. Riggers should check the system
before the customer even gets to the rig.
Classic Problems
We have had many reports of what I would call the traditional types;
line over malfunctions, bag locks and line problems preventing the slider
from deploying
Conclusions: Nearly all these incident reports have been described
in a few words, eg "it was a line over malfunction so I cut away". The majority of the jumpers were experienced parachutists, it would be interesting
to know how many of the canopies were pro packed, how many side packed.
One report that I read some years ago put 70% of malfunctions down to
poor pro packing techniques, I wonder
Recommendations : Good packing techniques would probably prevent
many of these and the only recommendation that can be given is to read
and understand the factors which can assist in preventing these common
problems. The deployment system has been well proven, however the equipment
is changing so fast that a bit of studying is required to keep up with
the latest techniques. There is an art to good, safe pro packing and
the understanding of your deployment system. The type and size of your
pilot chute, the length of the bridle and the rubber bands you use all
contribute and have to be compatible.
AAD´s Activating
There have been several reports throughout the season of Automatic
Activation Devices firing. Some examples. One was sent back to the manufacturer,
following a fault on the ground. It was found to be a unique error, i.e.
the only time the error had ever occurred. One fired whilst the main
( square) canopy was in the second of two 360 turns. Another fired at
altitude whilst the jumper was at terminal velocity, several thousand
feet too high.
Conclusions:There are no patterns and trends in these reports as such,
other than the fact that no-one was injured as a result of the firings,
and that in all cases the units were returned to either manufacturers
or maintenance facilities for inspection.
Recommendations:It is important to remember some key points about AAD operation.
First and foremost they are a backup only, or a survival tool. Just like
airbags, and safety belts, from time to time they will not perform as
expected. The manufacturers must be informed of any situation where their
product does something unexpected, so that they can spot any patterns
of events which could indicate something more serious. Secondly, AADs
must be operated as per their operating instructions. For example all
FXCs should be ‘J’ modified by now. If they aren't, your
breaking the law. The Student Cypres has two firing descent rates, one
of them is 43 feet per second. The Cypres doesn't know that you've put
it in a student piggybag system. It will just do it’s job if you descend
faster than that rate through the firing altitude. Even a docile student
square can exceed 43 feet per second after a couple of turns. All of
this information can be found in the users manual.
Manufacturing Fault
After nearly a year of use , a jumper decided to query a problem
with the main at the next repack. He asked the rigger to see if he could
see anything wrong with the canopy, as it had always been very hard to
pack. There did not appear to be anything wrong with it’s performance.
The rigger instantly saw the problem. One ‘C’ line was a ‘staggering’
27” longer than the others. On another occasion the lines attached to
the canopy had no stitching on them and over a period of time the lines
gradually became longer as they slipped out of the finger trapping causing
the canopy to have a bad line trim.
Conclusions:The canopy must have been very strange to pack, and would
almost certainly have flown with one line trailing slack all the time.
This was a company test canopy and was not inspected and
cleared to be used, It is remarkable that these incidents did not become
malfunction reports, and the question which begs to be answered is, who
rigged this canopy up in the first place ?
Recommendations:When assembling a set of kit remember that the inspection
is just as important as the correct assembly, this does not just mean
just attaching the canopy to risers and saying its good to go. When you
first inspect a canopy inspect it for any manufacturing faults and after
then its just a matter of concentrating on the general wear and tear
and any accidental damage. Are you sure your system has been assembled
and inspected correctly.
Temporary Repairs
During a routine reserve inspection and repack a rigger found
a damaged reserve pilot chute that had been repaired with ripstop sticky
tape (2 Patches), a freebag was damaged and also repaired with ripstop
sticky tape (3 Patches) and the canopy was also damaged and repaired
with ripstop sticky tape (1 Patch). This system was converted from a
round reserve to a square reserve however there is no record of who had
done the work.
Conclusions:All this damage was probably caused by bad packing techniques
and the repairs were certainly not acceptable, this was the first time
the owner had it repacked by a rigger as he normally does the repacks
himself, the repairs have been on this system since he first started
packing it.
Recommendations:This situation may have been acceptable many years ago however
the sport is progressing very fast and keeping up to date is a full time
task, consulting a rigger every now and then may be the answer here.
Compatibility
A chaser manufactured for a Foil main canopy had the Foil
replaced with a sprint main canopy, The deployment bag was the original
type made for a Foil with a large grommet
( size 8 ) in the base of the deployment bag, The Sprint main canopy
was way to small for the container and most of the components were not
compatible with each other for many different reasons.
Conclusions:The rigger who was asked to assemble obviously declined, in
the best scenario the main canopy could have been pulled through the
grommet in the deployment bag causing some damage, in the worst scenario
this could have resulted in a reserve ride when the rest of the system
was also badly mismatched ??
Recommendations:The system worked in this case and the equipment in question
has not been assembled, however this is a lesson for all those who assemble
equipment, lets not forget that even though components look similar the
small differences can make a big difference. Its not just riggers who assemble
equipment and this could have been missed.
Illegal Pack Job
During a routine equipment inspection prior to using this
rig on a drop zone, the person inspecting the documents noticed that
the paperwork had no information about having a Cypres installed however
the rig did have a Cypres, on looking closure the inspector noticed the
remarks “ Cypres Added “.
Conclusions:The person packing this reserve did so when it had no Cypres
fitted, Its not surprising to find out that the person who later fitted
the Cypres was not the reserve packer and he never signed that he fitted
the Cypres probably hoping that every one would assume it was the reserve
packer who later fitted it.
Recommendations:We have had similar incidents of people tampering with some
one else's reserve pack jobs but this beats them all, Lets remember that
no one can tamper with another persons reserve repack.
Baggy Clothing
An experienced jumper 2000+ jumps was doing a sit flying using a baggy
nylon tracksuit, just before deployment the jacket inflated over the rig,
on deployment the jumper had hold of the BOC toggle and part of the jacket,
and in pulling the pilot chute ends up on the jumpers back tangled with
the jacket, the jumper managed to clear the pilot chute but opens very
slow.
Conclusions:We must assume that every thing we wear is classed as parachute
equipment during any parachute descent and look at clothing as critical
as we would with the rest of our equipment.
Recommendations:When using baggy tracksuits the type of material should be taken
into consideration and how the top is secured. Check before emplaning to
make sure nothing can affect the deployment sequence.
Pencil Packing
During a routine reserve inspection and repack, the rigger
noticed that it had been packed twice before according to the documents,
however he became suspicious when he noticed that the second repack done
in the UK was exactly like the factory repack done in the USA by the
rig manufacturer, the PD marking box on the canopy was unmarked.
Conclusions:After confronting the UK packer with this information he found
out that this repack was only a pencil pack job as the rigger suspected.
Recommendations:Do not pencil pack reserve parachutes, this is a simple request
but it has the backing of the BPA and all its powers to remove all BPA
ratings so why risk it, and the word fraud also springs top mind.
Hard Reserve Pull
A reserve packer went to deploy a reserve prior to a reserve
repack and found it difficult, he then decided to do a pull test and
record the poundage, the result was a staggering 56Lbs
Conclusions:This reserve repack was done abroad who I believe
do not have to record the poundage as we have to in the UK however they
do work under the same guide lines of a maximum pull force of 22Lbs.
Recommendations:Just be aware that when your reserve is packed abroad the
poundage is not tested after the reserve repack, which is mandatory in
the UK.
Bad Packing
Since the last lot of incident reports we have had a total
of 3 Bridle lines miss-routed and not picked up on flight line checks
and 2 pin pull systems packed incorrectly, all five resulted in reserve
rides.
Conclusions:This is a problem that continues to show itself on a regular
basis, the only conclusions I can come up with is the packers are not
paying attention to the pack job or the right information is not being
taught to the jumpers on the rig that they now own, not all containers
close the same way.
Recommendations:This is the easiest malfunction to prevent, please check your
manuals for the correct closure sequence and if in doubt get some advice.Also
flight line checkers should be aware of this problem to prevent skydivers
from emplaning with a miss routed bridle line.
Incorrect Assembly
I have had 2 reports of main risers incorrectly assembled
on to the containers that resulted in crossed risers on deployment, in
both cases the jumpers had to cut away and deploy their reserves.
Conclusions:At first I would have said that the above risers must have
been assembled to the containers without having a line sequence check
prior to packing, however one was a category 8 jumper who had the line
sequence checked by a experienced AFF Instructor.
Recommendations:The only recommendation here to be more observant and take
your time when performing such a simple task, The word complaisant springs
to mind yet again.
RSL Prematurely Deploys Reserve
Upon deployment of the main canopy, the reserve canopy also
deployed, the jumper cut away the main and landed safely on the reserve
parachute.
Conclusions:This rig had recently had an RSL fitted, unfortunately for
the jumper the length of the RSL was to short on a Racer container so
when the main risers came under tension the RSL pulled the reserve pins.
Recommendations:This premature reserve deployment could quite easily have
been avoided if the rigger had taken more care when retrofitting the
RSL system, this is also something that reserve packers should be looking
out for.
Incorrect Reserve Repack
The RSL system on an Atom container is set up so that both
risers have to be released before the RSL system deploys the reserve,
the way that this is achieved is that both sides of the RSL have a separate
pin and when packed, both of these pins have to be put through the reserve
ripcord loop and into 2 separate loops, one system however was found
to be packed with only one RSL pin being through the reserve ripcord
loop.
Conclusions:The RSL system was still affective however if the jumper was
to have a total malfunction on the main parachute then the reserve ripcord
would not have deployed the reserve parachute and would have fatal consequences.
Recommendations:This type of incident demonstrates the need to continue to
work logically and use the manufacturers manuals step by step, especially
when the packer is not completely familiar with this type of deployment
system, remember any small changes that you are not completely familiar
with is only a phone call away.
Incorrect Risers
2 reports of Racer containers fitted with PDF reverse risers
have been reported by the Australian parachute Federation, this is very
worrying for the following reasons, firstly the reverse risers were designed
for the Atom container which has a high mounted large riser ring and
secondly they were installed on a Racer container which had a low mounted
large riser ring.
Conclusions:The persons investigating these found that the risers could
not be released unless the canopy was at least over head which is not
always the case when confronted with a radical main canopy malfunction.
Recommendations:This is another case of mismatched equipment, Beware incompatible
components can kill.
Quality of Riggers Materials
A jumper deployed his pin pull system and during deployment
thought that it caught somewhere, on landing he noticed a small tear
on the pilot chute netting and decided to get it checked out by the local
rigger.
Conclusions:The rigger
who inspected it found that the netting ripped very easily and grounded
the pilot chute, this pilot chute had approximate. 40 jumps on it prior
to this incident so the jumper decided to return it for inspection, because
of the sequence of this incident the rigger who manufactured it tested
some others that were in the same batch and found that the netting ripped
with as little as 5Lbs of pressure. The source of the netting is not known.
Recommendations:Riggers who manufacture components need to be sure of the
suppliers and that all materials have been tested to an approved standard.
Stability is Important
3 static line Raps students had very bad exits resulting in entanglement
with the deploying canopy. One student managed to cutaway and land
safely under the reserve, however the other 2 landed with both main
and reserve, one resulted in injuries on landing and was taken to
hospital.
2 AFF students went unstable on pull resulting in deploying canopy
entangling with legs, both students cutaway and deployed reserve
with no further
problems
Conclusions Without a good exit or a good body position during deployment every student
is automatically placed in a higher than normal risk bracket and these
reports have shown the consequences that can be expected.
Recommendations Concentrating on the practical training given during courses can reduce
these problems. Good exit training out of a mock up during ground training
to improve techniques could prevent entanglements during static line
exits.
When debriefing AFF students during the early jumps more concentration
on the deployment position could improve later deployment when the students
go solo. Students can help themselves by visualising themselves deploying
stable in preparation for the jump
No Pull
2 students and 1 experienced jumpers failed to deploy the main parachute,
as they could not find the toggle, they carried out reserve drills
and landed without further incident. 1 experience jumper failed to
deploy the main as the pin pull system jammed
Conclusions 3 reserve rides could have been prevented by either improving drills
or a final check by the jumper that the toggle was in place prior to
leaving the aircraft. The 4th was caused by bad packing and is a common
problem with pin pulls
Recommendations Practice deploying the pilot chute while wearing a rig and building up
the muscle memory so it’s becomes a natural action and always check
your handles are in place prior to exiting the aircraft.
If using a pin pull the same applies as well as making sure it is packed
with slack so that when pulling the pin you're not pulling any material
Premature Deployments
One experience jumper had a reserve deploy while standing up in the
aircraft and 2 student Cypres fired while descending in the aircraft
as the
jump run was cancelled due to cloud
Conclusions The security of the reserve pin should not have been affected by moving
so it was either knocked or the closure loop was to long. The student
Cypres will fire if it descends faster than a deployed canopy and most
aircraft's can achieve this. This could cause a catastrophic accident
if the aircraft has no door or its open
Recommendations Check the security of the reserve pin prior to enplaning and if an aircraft
has to land with jumpers on board inform the pilot that Cypres is on
board so they can descend slowly and turn off affected AAD´s
Hard Openings
A camera jumper had a very hard opening and blacked out for a few seconds,
this resulted in whiplash and a visit to hospital
Conclusions The stiletto is well know as a slow deploying parachute however a bad
pack job can still cause it to open fast, its also worth remembering
that some manufacturers have 2 slider sizes for the same canopy depending
on how you like your openings
Recommendations Pack carefully especially when doing camera jumps also its common practice
for camera jumpers not to look down on deployment as this can prevent
whiplash
Twists
12 reserve rides due to twists on high performance canopies and 9 reserve
rides due to twists on intermediate and student canopies
Conclusions Kicking out of twists on high performance canopies is not an option as
they wind up very quickly, all these jumpers carried out good reserve
drills however some did report having to use both hands to cutaway
as it was very difficult.
The intermediate and student cutaway procedures were done after attempts
were given to clear the twists, some never cleared and others cleared
but caused further problems when doing control checks.
One jumper ended up on a round reserve having never practiced PLF's for
over six years and it became quite a shock to end up under a round
Recommendations Body position, well fitted equipment, canopy packing and line stowage
is the cause of most twists, insuring the use of correct bungee's,
the correct size and adequate grip is probably the most important factor
Malfunctions (General)
3 jumpers had bag lock, 8 had line over's, 4 had pilot chute in tows,
2 could not release one control toggle, 2 had line knots, 2 had pilot
chute over front of canopy. All did the correct reserve drills and
landed without further incident
Conclusions Bad packing is without doubt the cause of most of these typical malfunctions
Recommendations Maybe a packing test should be given to all jumpers who have these type
of malfunctions to see if the problem can be spotted and prevented
by improving packing techniques and knowledge
Incorrect Drills
2 jumpers deployed the reserve without cutting away the malfunctioned
main parachutes resulting in having 2 canopies out, one cutaway after
the canopies went into a down plane and landed without further incident
and the other landed with both parachutes very dazed
Conclusions When in an unnatural environment and suddenly faced with a high stress
situation like a malfunction it is very important to rely on drills
taught and in these cases the drills were not instinctive
Recommendations Make sure reserve drills are practiced regular and become very instinctive
Altitude Awareness
2 jumpers lost altitude awareness during a free fly jump, both realise
and deployed however the Cypres also fired and both jumpers had 2 canopies
out, both cutaway and landed under the reserve
Conclusions Its not mentioned weather they had any audible altimeter or not
Recommendations Regular check of your altimeter is the best safety tip however the purchase
of a good audible altimeter as a back up is also a good idea, some
free flyers have 2 audible altimeters
Bad Landings (Reserve parachute)
3 jumpers successfully carried out reserve drills after malfunctions
and then had bad landings on the reserve parachutes resulting in injuries
Conclusions One jumper went from his 170 main to a 135 reserve, one went from a 220
main to a round reserve and the third had similar sized main and reserve
Recommendations Jumping a large main and having a small reserve is never a good idea,
also having a round and not being prepared to end up on it is also
not a good idea
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