malfunction story

[jtval 0]

OK I KNOW THIS IS AN OLD TOPIC...there are new people here and I find this very educational (especially since I haven't been current for a while.)
fortunately I dont have any personal stories. My closest thing to a MAL was a hesitation on my 19th jump. I pulled my RIPCORD(still using rented gear at the time) and nothing happened. So I elbowed my rig and "poof" out came this great big main! not much of a story but thats the only one I got.
I ve benn packing my own rig since jump 21. (i now have 115) I often thought "man, this pack job might be the one that cost me a repack."any one got a story?
Life's a bitch, and I'm her Pimp!
JT
http://community.webshots.com/user/jtval100

[ChromeBoy 0]

Jump number 68 on December 24th, 2001 in Lake Wales, Florida. Completed a four way RW tracked away and deployed at 3k. Lines began to twist like crazy from the toggles up to the canopy. The slider did not come down. I began to kick and twist the lines to no luck. I could not control my canopy and I was getting ready to go into a cloud . I looked at my altimeter and I was at around 1800 feet. Grabbed red, grabbed red, pulled red, pulled red. Nice red PD R 160 over my head. I saw my friends following my main and freebag and they brought it to me when I landed. The Riggers at Lake Wales packed my reserve within two hours plus they gave me a demo just like I had so I could get up on the next load.
Doesn't beat Spy38W's stories though.

• Quote

[AndyMan 7]

Quote

man, this pack job might be the one that cost me a repack.

Yup, and it was caused by a packing error, and yup, I packed it myself. It was NOT one of those packjobs where I though "Hmm. I wonder if THIS will open?" Those ones usually open best.
That said, I did actually see the packing error as I was putting the bag into the container. The pilotchute stuck through half of the lines. So I pulled the pilotchut our of the lines. What I should've done is passed the whole rig through the lines... the pilot chute was the only part that was correct.
The only way I would've known this was to completely undo all of my line stowes and lay it out... but I was too lazy. I though of this, but thought with cockiness.. "Nah, I can fix this!"
The mal was a complete line over.... a brake line and two D lines came down off the canopy, did a full wrap around my other lines, then anchored on my risers. Whoever says a triathlon won't spin up has never had one in this configuration...
_Am
ICQ: 5578907
MSN Messenger: andrewdmetcalfe at hotmail dot com
AIM: andrewdmetcalfe
Yahoo IM: ametcalf_1999

[freeflir29 0]

Quote

any one got a story?

Well...mines not very eventful either. I will share my story from last Sunday though. It's not something I will ever do again. I made what was probably the STUPIDEST jump of my life on Sunday. Here I am landing from a load when I know I want to do the next load as a DZ.com jump. I only have a "short" 10 minute call. I just throw my stuff down and start packing like crazy. Not like I could miss the sunset load and a DZ.com jump. I can't pack any faster than about 10 minutes and that is absolutely hauling ass for me. Well, I get it packed up. I know the ENTIRE load is waiting on me and the plane is running. I throw the rig on and I'm running to the plane when I stop about 15 feet from the plane and say to myself "You ARE NOT getting on that plane until you fasten your chest strap!" So I did and hopped on the plane. Rode to altitude with leg straps dangling. After all the beach jumpers got out I had plenty of room to move around, tighten leg straps, and check my gear on the 10 mile ride back to the DZ. I checked everything about 10 times and decided it was good. Well....had a fun dive shooting video of Lindsey and Wingnut. It was getting pretty dark but not too bad. Lindsey said she was going to dump high so I wanted to get the perfect video shot. I got her deploying with the last glimmers of sunset in the background. It happened fast but is really nice looking when you pause the video. I spin on over and check my airspace...everything looks good....about 2700 I dump. Nice snivel.....whoa....why are we trying to dive left??? Correct with the riser....let up....still wants to dive left! Hmmm...check lines.....no line over. Hmmm...lots of slack in the right side and left side is tight. Look at toggles dummy!! Yep...right toggle unstowed. NIIIIICE!!! That could have been a lot worse. Unstow left toggle, collapse slider, fly to DZ and land. It all turned out OK but I feel like I took way too many chances on that jump. I'll plan which loads I go on better in the future.
PS...I know that the toggle was stowed when I packed it because I remember N2SKDVN asking me what I did with my excess when he was helping me get the risers into the container. It just somehow got popped on opening.
"Here I come to save the BOOBIES!"

[Skyrose7 0]

funny, I had someone on my load this weekend who had the same thing--except he just started packing for himself,and he also cutaway. This is the second person in my lowly 50 jumps that has had a reserve ride on my load--coincedence? I think they must be distracted by my amazing beauty...yah, that must be it..
The mind is like a parachute--it works better when it is open. JUMP.

[freeflir29 0]

Quote

I think they must be distracted by my amazing beauty...yah, that must be it..

Do you pack naked by some chance? "Here I come to save the BOOBIES!"

[Skyrose7 0]

I didn't know there was any other way to do it... why??
The mind is like a parachute--it works better when it is open. JUMP.

[freeflir29 0]

Quote

I didn't know there was any other way to do it... why??

I just wanted to make sure that you had been "trained" properly..."Here I come to save the BOOBIES!"

[GrumpySmurf 0]

Jump #13 - horseshoe. Cleared it, no cutaway.
Jump #115 - spinning malfunction. Chopped it.
Jump #217 - don't know, haven't got there yet. I'm sure something will happen. *shrug*
Had 1 PC hesitation, 1 Line dump, and an odd openning where I had the canopy flipped a full turn through the center between the line sets with the front/rear riser pairs twisted around one another - flew and landed fine.

[pilotdave 0]

I wrote about mine not too long ago, but here's the quick version. Jump #51, my 9th or 10th on my new (used) rig. Pulled, waited, waited, hmmm.... look back... "shit shit shit shit." Pilot chute in tow. I could see it trailing behind me, fully inflated (it was cocked). Before I had time to even think about what to do (to cut away or go straight for the reserve), I found myself tugging on the bridle. I don't remember thinking about it at all.... I just reached back and it was in my hand, then I pulled it all in one motion. I could feel the bag come out, but I was rolling over onto my back. The bag bounced over my side. I could see the lines stretch. Then it flipped me back over, canopy opened, and I had a few line twists. Cleared those by 2000 or so and was able to finally lift my head, just in time to see someone else's cut-away main going by. Landing was uneventful and actually one of my most accurate landings, about a yard from the target.
Problem seems to have been a shrunken kill line not allowing the pilot chute to inflate fully. The other day I had a few people look at it and there wasn't much agreement about the kill line so I just replaced the whole pilot chute. Speaking of that, I have a used 28" pilot chute for sale. The more I've read about pilot chutes in tow since then, the more thankful I am that things worked out as well as they did. I don't know if pulling on the bridle was such a good idea or not, but I definitely prefer anything to a main/reserve entaglement. I'm also trying to figure out where I got the reflex from to reach for the bridle. I was never taught to do that, and I never thought about it. It just happened.
Dave
http://www.skydivingmovies.com

[tfelber 0]

I've got a couple of good one's.
1. My first reserve ride. Jump #58 or so, one of the guys I was jumping with had packed up the PD170 (Rental gear) and then decided he didn't have enough time to get up. I threw it on and jumped on the next load. Threw out about 3000 and looked up to see a ball of fabric. I waited and waited and nothing was changing. I didn't look at my altimeter, but I felt like I was probably pretty low. I pulled the cutaway and started to accelerate (Oh shit, grab the reserve!!!). I reached for the reserve handle and before I could get it out the RSL had popped the reserve. I looked at my altimeter, 1200 feet. From there it was a nice easy ride to the landing area.
2. Jump #90-something. I had just bought a TurboZX 165. First jump was DeJaVu of #58. I opened about 4000 though. I looked up saw a ball of fabric. I waited and waited, and thought I got lots of altitude left, let's give it a shake. When I grabbed the rear risers and tugged on them the canopy opened, but immediately went into a hard spin. I reached for the cutaway handle and just as I touched it the spin stopped, but now my momentum was twisting the lines all the way to the top. I checked my altitude, 2500 feet. I'm flying level, let's try to kick out. By 1500 feet the line twist were out and I landed without incident.
3. Jump #123 or so, My friend just bought a new rig but was a new jumper and not quite ready to jump it. So I threw it on and went up. He had just bought a hackey handle for his pilot chute and sewed it on the night before. I wasn't concerned (How can you mess up a hackey handle). About 3500 feet I threw out the pilot chute, waited a moment, and nothing (He must have messed up the pilot chute. Actually he tied it shut when he sewed the hackey on.) With pilot chute in tow I decide it's time for my friend to have his reserve repacked. I pulled the reserve and felt something open over my head. Look up, IT'S THE MAIN!!!. I'm not worried, it's flying good, but I notice I have all these lines wrapped around the toggels. About that time something bangs into my side. It's the reserve still in the free bag. I'm thinking I don't want this thing to open up so I grab it and stuff it in my chest strap. I reach up and pull the reserve lines down and hold them with my teeth. I release the brakes and land without incident. By this time everyone on the ground was running up asking what happened. My friend landed and walked over to see what was up. After the third person asked him if he realized he almost killed his friend, I started to realize how close I had come to a main reserve entanglement.
Lessons learned:
- Give yourself plenty of room to deal with the sh*t.
- When your jumping someone else's gear inspect it more thoroghly.
- An RSL is not a bad thing.
- With a pilot chute in tow, cutaway first.
- When jumping something new, give yourself plenty of room to deal with the sh*t!!!

[PhillyKev 0]

Quote

I'm also trying to figure out where I got the reflex from to reach for the bridle. I was never taught to do that, and I never thought about it. It just happened.

That would scare me into practicing emergency procedures for a good long while. It worked out for the best in this case, but I want to make sure I do what I've trained to do when the need arises.
cielos azules y cerveza fría
-Kevin

[hobbes4star 0]

jump #126 I was jumping an intermediate board, and the cut away cable that runs down the side of the leg worked its way over my knee. at about 7000 I bent my knee to initiate a front twisting flip and the board cut away my left foot, I stayed in control of the board and was on top of it. I deployed my main. big mistake, as my canopy started to snivel the board came lose and wiped me around causing line twist and spinning mal. time for plan b, chop board, chop main, and I was under my tempo by 5500 ft. it was amazing how fast everything got out of control. Instead of chopping the board like I should have I tried to save the board, and ended up losing the board paying for a repack and looking like an idiot to my instructor.I was lucky that this happened when i was still high, and not at pull time, i think i would have really been screwed. Lesson to be learned instructors know what they are talking about listen to them not only could it help you but at some point your life my depend on it. Second lesson learned when shit happens it happens fast, and small situation can get out of control in the blink of an eye. blue skies everyone.
why jump when you can fly

[ChromeBoy 0]

First post by TFelber = BEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

• Quote

[PhillyKev 0]

Quote

the board cut away my left foot

Did you find it and have it reattached?
cielos azules y cerveza fría
-Kevin

[Milo 0]

Quote

First post by TFelber

And a very good post it is! Welcome to the forums, Tony
milo

[skybytch 259]

I posted some of this in the S&T forum last week, but since you asked...
Jump #867, during the Big Way Camp at Eloy a couple of weeks ago. It was an 80 way that didn't complete. I turned and tracked, found my own clean air behind the outside people and between the people in my line and dumped. Instead of what I normally feel when my Spectre 170 deploys - a slight pulling at my back as the lines unstow then slowly being pulled vertical as the canopy works it's way open - I felt what I can only describe as a "trap door effect" (much like on a tandem opening), then THWACK! The hardest opening I've experienced in almost 870 jumps.
All I could do was hang there, yelling "ow! shit!" repeatedly. My chin and lower lip were on fire, my knees were pulling up toward my chest, my arms were flopping around and my brain was checked out. Not
good when you have 80+ canopies opening in the air all around you.
My brain still wasn't back with me, but out of sheer habit I reached up for the toggles and popped them out. Something felt wrong... I looked up to see the center D lines trailing behind the canopy and the
center of the tail flat and much higher than it normally is. Again from force of habit I flared to about half brakes and felt the canopy slowing, thinking wtf??? Broken lines?? Holy shit. Breathe. Ow. Breathe.
Owww. I'm flying straight, headed away from the drop zone with no canopies in front of me.
Slowly my brain was coming back to functioning. I remember seeing a blue and white canopy to my right, just below me and turning away. There were other canopies out there too, but none that would affect me as long as I stayed flying in the direction I was going. I glanced at my altimeter; I was just above 1500 feet - I remember thinking do I fly and land it or do I cutaway and pull the reserve? I flared again, felt the
canopy slow down but not nearly as much as it normally does. I tried a gentle left turn... it worked. I flared again; okay, I think I can land this. Damn, I hope I can land this... Ow. Shit. Fly for me baby... fly....
Slowly turned 180 back toward the dz, head on a swivel locating the other canopies in my immediate vicinity. I was on the other side of the runway ("don't cross the runway below 500 feet"), checked altitude
again, I'm still above 1000 and others are crossing the runway below me (fly for me baby... please...). Checked the wind sock at the main landing area and watched the first people down in the desert surrounding it to try to gauge the wind direction - I don't want to put this down any way other than straight into the wind. I'm across the runway but there's no way I'm going to make the grass. 500 feet; I do a gentle right hand turn (c'mon baby, fly for me... c'mon baby...) and got crosswind. Another very gentle right turn (please fly, please fly...) and I'm into the wind, headed straight for the hard packed desert floor
(oh shit this ain't gonna be pretty... c'mon baby fly...).
Too soon (or not soon enough, depending) the ground was coming up at me quick. Quarter brakes to slow it down a bit (oh please.. shit this is gonna hurt...), time to flare... flare... flare.... slide in on
my heels.. keep flaring.... stop. Breathe. Ow. I rolled over onto my side and started shaking. Looked at my canopy and said thank you, thank you, thank you. Laid there for a few seconds, trying hard not to start
crying, hands shaking uncontrollably.
I slowly stood up (ow... ow... ow...) and dropped the toggles. Daisy chained the lines, grabbed the broken ones, gathered the pilot chute and threw the whole mess over my shoulder. Walked slowly and carefully back to the hangar, found a spot and dropped my canopy. People are looking at me, someone came up and asked if I was okay, "feet, knees, face?" I'm covered with Arizona desert front and back and barely functioning.
It took over an hour before my hands stopped shaking. I completely lost it for awhile there, laying in a corner trying not to cry and not understanding why I was so upset. I figured out later that I was in shock, and that it's a totally normal reaction to what had just happened. I sat down for the rest of the day - although I could have borrowed a canopy from Square 2 and kept jumping, that was the end of the big way camp for me.
Damage done? Two broken lines, a very dirty jumpsuit and container, a couple of gnarly bruises, some scratches on my chin and lower lip and a very sore back. Lessons learned? Don't expect to have your brain with you when shit happens and don't ask a packer who is already overbooked to take you on.
pull & flare,
lisa
"Try not. Do or do not. There is no try." - Yoda sez

[flyhi 24]

Quote

an odd openning where I had the canopy flipped a full turn through the center between the line sets with the front/rear riser pairs twisted around one another - flew and landed fine.

Sounds like a step-through. Was it?
flyhi

[hobbes4star 0]

>Did you find it and have it reattached?
actually never found the board, but the foot stuck around, i only limped for a couple of weeks. lucky i didn't break my ankle...
why jump when you can fly

[GrumpySmurf 0]

Yeah, one of those, I think.
That's what I got for rushing a pack job on a 20 minute call for the next load in the 4-Way Scrambles over the past weekend. Lesson Learned: in competitions - hire a packer.