BAD NEWS!!!

[skymedic 0]

I hate to tell this to you guys, but we had a fatality at our DZ yesterday. The skydiver was a level 7 AFF student the ended up unstable. They didn't attempt to pull eather chute. The person was flailing around so much that the jumpmaster or the cameraman couldn't get to him without endangering themselves. The cypress fired but do to him not being stable he ended up with a bad horseshoe.
This is a reminder and a wakeup call to NOT lose stability.
This was our first loss at the Sebastian since anyone around here can remember and everyone is really bummed!!
Remember have fun but more importantly BE SAFE!!!
marc

[Iflyme 0]

This is awful -- my thoughts go out to all those involved, and the family and friends of the deceased...

[freaksister 0]

I'm sure they didn't mean to lose stability! Sometimes you can't help it and you have to hope for the best.
My condolences to everyone at your DZ and all those involved.
Sis
"What we're all really seeking is something where we can feel the rapture of being alive."J.Campbell

[Zennie 0]

My condolences to jumper's friends, family & the folks at Sebastian.
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Blue Skies!
Zennie

[Albatross 0]

Thoughts and prayers for the family and friends. All you at the DZ too. It is shocking that an AFF 7 would get that unstable.
Fly Free, Fly fast, Fly together
Albatross

[cloud9 0]

As long as I live I will never understand a no pull..
My prayers to the JM's all the folks at the DZ and mostly to the family.
This is not the thread, but perhaps we could discuss some new training aid that would get people to pull every handle they have when in doubt.

[skymedic 0]

Just a quick update. Turns out the student lost altitude awareness and was trying to do movements below his briefed stop altitude of 6,000 feet. The 2 JM's were franticly using hand signals to get his attention but the student eather didn't pay attention or forgot them. When the student realized his mistake, he panicked and then went tumbling end over end with out a chance for the JM's to rescue him.
I also for the life of me can not understand no pulls.
Be safe, marc

[MC208B 0]

Sorry to hear about this jumper going in. I did a post about a month ago about a guy with 45 jumps, unstable, spinning, tumbling until his AAD fired at about 800 feet. Think the term at my home DZ is brain lock for not pulling.

[Albatross 0]

A few months ago we had someone have a mal and then rode their cypress in. It deployed but everyone at the DZ just refered to him as "That F#$%ing idiot". If the ground is coming for god sake pull, tug, rip, whatever it takes because doing nothing WILL get you killed.
Ready, Set, GOOOOOOO
Albatross

[skymedic 0]

Albatross, I totaly agree, I just dont understand no pulls.
you would think faced with this situation you would be going for everything yet people dont every year and die from it. I just get so angry when I think about it...

[screwbag 0]

i have only been jumping for a few months now and anytime i hear of someone going in it hits me good...as though i have lost a friend. i have many big brothers and sisters in the brotherhood of freefall....and i love each of them. i feel the loss as i hope all skydivers do. my condolences to all involved.
blue skies

[skydiverkaz 0]

Like everyone else, I would like to send my thoughts and prayers to everyone involved. Can't imagine it. I too don't understand no pulls, but there you go- it happened and all we can do is try to learn from it and see if there is any way of improving what's taught to future students
Kxx

[chaz1234 0]

My condolences to all involved as well. I recently (Feb.) came off student status, and one question I have is, Why isn't an intentional cutaway part of student training? It may not have helped this situation, because I don't belive it should be done until a few more jumps than an AFF level 7, but I've never understood why this shouldn't be a part of working toward your A liscense. If prior experience is everything, than we ALL should know how it feels to pull those handles in the air, before we really have to.

[Dutchboy 0]

Don't think an intentional cutaway would have helped in this situation. The best you can do for that training is to use the suspended harness.
I suspect that we don't do intentional cutaways for the same reason the FAA no longer requires spin training. They were killing more people with the training than they were saving with the awareness it brang.
The Dutchboy
http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

[cdunham 0]

One thing to keep in mind is that these people may not have been just riding shit down, or deer-in-the-headlighted. If you read the Cypres saves reports, you will see that there are a large number of them where people were tugging like hell on the wrong thing, usually the reserve ripcord cable housing. Many of them also seem to pull the cutaway handle, and think that is enough (or that it's the reserve handle). It may be that these no pull scenarios are the same kind of thing, only we didn't get to find out what was going on.
The lesson here may not be to say "why don't people pull, I would be doing everything I could!", but rather, "If this happened to me, would I be able to locate the right handle?"
Talks to being aware of the handle locations, especially in freefall, under canopy, etc. Don't just train your muscle memory for where they are while you are on the ground or in the plane. I say that, but I don't do it either. Time to start.
Carl

[FallnAngel 0]

Quote

Talks to being aware of the handle locations, especially in freefall, under canopy, etc. Don't just train your muscle memory for where they are while you are on the ground or in the plane. I say that, but I don't do it either. Time to start.

Good point, Carl! I have a JM (w/4 reserve rides) that, every once in a while, when he's in freefall before deployment or under canopy right after his control checks, he practices an "oh shit" moment...usually with a yell and a touch/practice pull on each of his handles. Sounds like a really good idea to me.
BSBD,
Karen

[skreamer 1]

You make some excellent points Carl. What I also do is when I am under canopy at about '1 000 (just before I start my downwind leg), is take a good look at the ground and tell myself, 'yes it is f$^^$ing close, but if you have to, you will F^$%ing pull those handles'. If possible I also take a quick grip on the handles (just to feel where they move to under canopy).
I do feel sorry for the friends and family of the guy who died, but my thoughts also go out to his AFF JM who has to live with the 'what if' questions.
/s

[ADRNALN 0]

My condolences go out to his family and friends. Hopefully, he is remembered for LIVING life.
Blue Skies

[ADRNALN 0]

My condolences go out to his family and friends. Hopefully, he is remembered for LIVING life.
Blue Skies

[frost 1]

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The lesson here may not be to say "why don't people pull, I would be doing everything I could!", but rather, "If this happened to me, would I be able to locate the right handle?"
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That’s right. You never know how you will react in a stress situation so saying “I would never do this or I will always do that” is really just a foolish statement. If you do what you’re supposed to do during a high stress malfunction when it really happens to you and save yourself then you learned your emergency procedures well. I personally touch my handles when I put my rig on and about 3 times right before I am about to get to the door. And then I ask my brain not to fart.
Truly sorry to hear about the accident…