rhys 0 #1 February 3, 2009 With the recent mandatory 3 ring inspection imposed in australia by the APF we found all 3 of the teardrop containers (risers) at our dropzone to be manufactured incorrectly. thay have been grounded and destroyed now. What was peculiar is athat all of the teardrp risers were made the same wit the same faults. The loop for the cutaway cable too short and the loop for the middle ring (large ring in the riser) too long. No metal to metal contact in the rings and all with exactly the same problem. I suggest that all teardrop owners have their risers inspected asap"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andrewhilton 1 #2 February 3, 2009 As a British rigger I can advise that TSE have superb customer service ; and just as with any skydiving gear, the manufacturer is a great first point of contact for any matters of concern. If you haven't already, then please speak to Sally or Chris - contacts on http://www.thomas-sports.com/ - I'm sure they will help you and would like to hear more. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JerryBaumchen 1,333 #3 February 4, 2009 Hi rhys, Quotethay have been grounded and destroyed now. IMO, you should have kept at least one riser to return to the mfr so that they could examine it & see exactly what you were concerned about. This possibility is no longer available, JerryBaumchen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rhys 0 #4 February 5, 2009 QuoteIMO, you should have kept at least one riser to return to the mfr so that they could examine it & see exactly what you were concerned about. This possibility is no longer available, JerryBaumchen That is not actually the case, the risers were cut above the ring attachment points and one of the guys is sending his back to se if they will replace them. All 6 risers of the 3 sets made by TSE were identically manufactured incorrectly. I have published this publicly so that owners of this equipment can be aware of a potential problem that 'could' present a safety problem. 2 sets of Talon risers and 3 sets of TSE risers have been grounded out of about 50 rigs (mostly strong tandems) of most of the popular manufacturers. at our DZ alone."When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydiverek 63 #5 February 5, 2009 Does anyone have a bulletin in PDF format??? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisClark 0 #6 February 6, 2009 When were they manufactured? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisClark 0 #7 February 6, 2009 Here you go. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 623 #8 February 15, 2009 A few years ago the British Parachute Association published the "three blokes test" for inspecting suspect mini-risers made by Thomas Sports Equipment. Did that Service Bulletin never reach Ausyland? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisClark 0 #9 February 15, 2009 Since noboby has let me know the date of manfacture of the risers I will assume since the original APF safety bulletin was issued in August 2001 the risers must have been new and never been in service. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Springbock 0 #10 February 16, 2009 Would you mind posting that Service Bulletin? Thanks Martin Take care up there! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cpoxon 0 #11 February 16, 2009 QuoteWould you mind posting that Service Bulletin? Thanks Martin SN66 on http://www.ukskydiver.co.uk/cms/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=1553&Itemid=209Skydiving Fatalities - Cease not to learn 'til thou cease to live Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skysurfcam 0 #12 February 17, 2009 Interesting. Actually thats a "Safety Notice", not a "Service Bulletin". This is the Service Bulletin http://www.apf.asn.au/documents/pdf/Service_Bulletins/thomas-sports-equip/tse197.jpg Makes no mention of the "Three bloke test" C. Brother Wayward's rule of the day... "Never ever ever go skydiving without going parachuting immediately afterwards." 100% PURE ADRENALENS Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisClark 0 #13 February 17, 2009 Craig was directing Martin to the BPA "3 blokes" notice that rigger rob had asked about. The APF notice had already been posted earlier. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skysurfcam 0 #14 February 18, 2009 1. Actually, Rob mentioned a Service Bulletin, then Craig quoted a Safety Notice. Two different things, with different likelyhoods of being passed on to skydivers overseas. 2. The Service Bulletin posted earlier is a different one entirely. C. Brother Wayward's rule of the day... "Never ever ever go skydiving without going parachuting immediately afterwards." 100% PURE ADRENALENS Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mangledspoon 0 #15 April 24, 2009 Hmm, interesting. I have an old Teardrop container manufactured 1990, which I have since grounded myself as I did not feel comfortable jumping it. Was told by several people that the risers had "stretched" and this is why there was no metal on metal contact, but after reading this maybe it was always like that? (Bought the rig second hand). Thanks for the info. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 623 #16 April 24, 2009 I doubt if your risers "stretched" so badly that rings no longer align. More likely they were sewn in the wrong place. Remember that tolerances are very tight on mini risers (one inch wide Type 17 webbing) and even an eighth of an inch misalignment can drastically change ring alignment and pull forces. Again, the best answers are found in that Service Bulletin, Technical Notice, whatever the heck you call it issued by Thomas Sports Equipment. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
imsparticus 0 #17 April 25, 2009 more than likely the riser grommets and hard housing grommets were not aligned when the inspection was carried out causing you to think a servicable riser was not metal to metal. look at the diagram from the apf service buletin it has to be in that config to get metal to metal. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
