My reserve closing loop ripped

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

Quote

The way most containers are constructed, when you close the main top flap, you pull on it in such a way that the reserve bottom flap grommet can pull against the reserve closing loop. It won't happen on all containers, but can happen on some, depending on how tight they are. That can cause wear on the reserve closing loop at a point under the pin where it can barely be seen without a flashlight and a magnifying glass.

That's why we change CYPRES loops every single packjob.

Chuck

[riggerrob 561]

irishrigger

i found a couple reserve pins that had a couple small nicks in them. I replaced both reserve pins.
other possibility have been mentioned like grommets and using a winding tool. The loop might have been over stretched when closing the rig. Since it broke at the splicing I suspect a nick on the grommet to overstretching during the closing sequence is the most likely suspect.
and in my opinion the reserve loop should and must be replaced with every repack with out fail.

I am just glad this happened on the ground before boarding. If that happened on climb out it could have been very nasty for you and the people left on the plane!

................................................................................

The Cypres 1 manual says to replace loops when they start to fray.
The Cypres 2 manual says to replace closing loops at every repack ... so I replace loops at every repack.

[riggerrob 561]

Yesterday I was inspecting a reserve container when I noticed a bit of verdigris on a pack tray grommet. Since I could not scratch the verdigris off with my fingernail, I looked closer and saw a groove worn into the (nickel-plated) brass grommet, so I replaced the grommet.

Then I replaced the Cypres loop.

Then I used the emery cloth to remove a rough edge from my knee board.

Bottom line, Cypres loops are fragile and can be damaged by any rough edge. Inspect your tools before every pack job.

[JPDECHENE 0]

The problem of ripping the reserve loops is known at least with the Next Tandems.
At Skydive Spa (Belgium) in 2007/2008, we decided to change our Tandem equipment supplier from Performance Variable / Firebird to Paratec. We then bought 4 complete rigs (Next Tandem harness/container assembly, 370 Tandem Speed reserves and Icarus 365 main canopies. First rig, delivered by the end of 2007, was fitted with a Cypres II Tandem AAD; the other three, delivered early 2008, were fitted with Vigil II AAD’s.

At the occasion of the first periodic reserve repack, I was surprised enough finding a quite severely damaged reserve loop. I immediately opened the other 3 rigs and found the loops also, more or less, severely damaged.

At the occasion, shortly after, of a visit at Paratec premises with the Belgian Parachute Riggers Association, I mentioned my concern to Paratec, who incriminated the length of the reserve loops (they were 155 mm long) and also the Vigil cutters. They did not insisted much on the cutters when I mentioned that the first (and the most) damaged loop was coming from a rig fitted with a Cypres 2.

Back home, I decided to open again the 4 reserves to adjust the loop length to the recommended value (145 mm) and also to have a closer look to the construction details of the rig. I was rather surprised with what I discovered:

Normally, on a reserve pack tray, the grommets on all flaps are all oriented the same way, i.e. with the long shank located on the top face of the flap and the crown side located on the bottom face. But on the Next, the grommet located on flap 3 (left side flap – the one holding the cutter on its bottom face) is oriented upside down, i.e. with the long shank installed on the bottom face of the flap and the crown on the top face; all the other grommets are installed the normal way.

Now back to our problem : why did Paratec changed the orientation of the flap 3 grommet ?

The reason is as follows : When grommet is installed, the long shank is rolled by the press creating a kind of a protruding lip half a mm high and 0.7 mm wide around the hole, this lip appearing on the crown side of the grommet.

That means that this lip should, be the grommet installed the normal way, be in contact with the AAD cutter and as the grommet is made of stainless steel, the lip is “eating” the soft brass Cypres cutter.

See 1. Damaged Airtec cutter

They have then turned the grommet upside down, presenting by the way to the cutter the shank face that is a lot smoother than the lipped face and then does not damage the cutter anymore.

See 2. Next cutter

But now, for flaps 3 and 4 (the two lateral flaps), crown sides with the lip are now facing each other, creating two small contact points as grommets are not exactly on top of each other and vibrations created by the drogue free fall increase the friction on those small points creating very small burrs that damage, with time, the loop.

See 3. Slightly damaged grommet.

but after a longer time, damages can increase and grommets may look that way :

See 4. Heavily damaged grommet.


Paratec finally admitted the reality of the problem (as it had been also mentioned in UK by BPA Rigger Paul Stockwell , in Luxemburg and most probably in other countries) and in December 2012, they issued a mandatory Service Bulletin (Ref. 2012-11-NT- Reserve loop) requesting the installation of type 12 webbing buffers to be installed on the inside and outside of reserve flap 3 and inside of reserve flap 4.

They however limited the problem to the Tandem rigs but it could be possible that your rig has the same problem maybe is your reserve loop a little bit long.