pull out handle fall off?

[bigway 4]

Has anyone ever deployed their canopy and then landed to find that their kill line in the bridle has broken and you have lost your handle?

I have just seen photos of such an incident and am wondering if anyone knows why this would have happened?

.Karnage Krew Gear Store
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[tbrown 26]

I'm not a rigger, but this would seem to be due to not paying attention to the condition of one's gear. I've got a rigger who gives my entire rig a thorough going over when he repacks my reserve and last year he told me I needed to have my p/c handle replaced, as it was becoming badly worn.

But I would find it difficult to believe something like this would happen suddenly, it seems more like a long process of age and wear. A lot of people nowadays don't look at their gear, or even KNOW what they should be looking for. It's part of the "My packer/rigger/RSL/AAD will take care of it" syndrome. Then suddenly something goes "snap" and there's barely time to say "oh shit".

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

[bigway 4]

The entire rig is brand new by 1-2 months and has 20 jumps on it.

Here is a photo.

.Karnage Krew Gear Store
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[stratostar 5]

Shit happends, could have been made in one of those 3rd world countrys.

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[erdnarob 1]

Tell your story to your rig manufacturer including the pictures. It seems to me that the center line or tape of your pilot chute broke at the attachment point. We don't see the kill line on the picture. Maybe the central tape stitching at the apex of your pilot chute was faulty and that would explain you have lost your handle. BTW who is the manufacturer?

Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

[councilman24 36]

Kill line breaking and handle coming off are two different things. Based on the contruction it looks like it had a kill line. Were did it break? Somewhere down in the bridle? It is not in the picture. The two white tapes are the apex "lines" that all pilot chutes, collaspable or not have. Exactly how these attached to the top and to the handle depends on what type of handle it had, hackey or monkey fist or orange plastic. Without blowing them up it looks more like the stitching came out rather than breaking. May have been poorly stitched or some kind of malfunction that cleared.

BTW, this is not a pull out pilot chute, its a throw out pilot chute.

I've seen worn handles hanging by a couple of threads, and I've seen a closing pin that I was hanging by two loose stitches. That new it shouldn't have been a wear issue. If the kill line broke something was going wrong.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[bigway 4]

I have only been told the Kill line broke.

I have emailed the manufacturer and am awaiting response.
Just thought i would see what people here had to say as this is not something i have seen before.

Someone asked who the manufacturer is?

Well, I have emailed them and I know after memorial day they will respond with a solution.
I am not going to say who the manufacturer is as I hate when these threads turn into bashing a manufacturer as they always end that way.


I was just wondering if this has happened to anyone else with something so new.

.Karnage Krew Gear Store
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[irishrigger 31]

i have come across something like this before.normally its wear and tear that causes this.but on one occasion the handle,(guessing by your pics it was a hacky sack or monkey fist)was not attached to the set limiter tape,they are normally bartacked or have a zig-zag stich to them.that was missing and the guy lost his hacky sack.its hard to say what happend from here,it could be a manufacturing fault,or maybe it was damaged by yanking it to hard when the P/C was cocked,but it would take brut force to do that.
i agree with terry and you have done the right thing in contacting the manufacture.they should set you straight.
rodger

[bigway 4]

I am a distributor and the first thing i do is contact the manfacturer. I just posted it here wondering if anyone else has seen this on a new rig before?

It was a freefly handle, not a hackey.

.Karnage Krew Gear Store
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