Reserve Pop in Aircraft

[bigdad510 1]

Last weekend we had a camera guy, who was sitting by an open door at 300 feet, have his reserve pin come loose and the spring loaded pilot chute released. Luckily two jumpers responded immediately. One closed the door while another grabbed the jumpers pack tray and reserve to contain it.

A jumper on the plane gave up there rig and rode the plane down, so the he could still shoot video and stills for a tandem.

Needless to say, everyone did reserve and main pin checks. Sadly though, I don't think enough skydivers do gear checks in the plane before exiting. The Ol'timers here should probably stress it a little more.

Great job all around!

Blue Skies

Brad

[Sockpuppet 0]

Nice drills from people there and nice manners allowing the tandem to get a memento of thier jump. Hope some beer was paid!

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Two of the three voices in my head agree with you. It might actually be unanimous but voice three only speaks Welsh.

[Squeak 17]

is this the one from Gold Coast or a different one?

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[bigdad510 1]

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is this the one from Gold Coast or a different one?

Yes it is, is it posted somewhere else?

Brad

[Squeak 17]

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is this the one from Gold Coast or a different one?

Yes it is, is it posted somewhere else?

not that i know of, but i heard about it and wondered if there was 2 reserve pops last week

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[Andy9o8 0]

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Last weekend we had a camera guy, who was sitting by an open door at 300 feet, have his reserve pin come loose and the spring loaded pilot chute released. Luckily two jumpers responded immediately. One closed the door while another grabbed the jumpers pack tray and reserve to contain it.

Aside from the short-term comfort of helping cool off a hot plane, why was the door open at all below at least 1000 feet? Seems to me it's fortunate we're not reading about a jump plane crash with multiple fatalities.

[patrickweldon 0]

'sitting by the open door at 300 feet"


and

"fortunate we're not reading about a jump plane crash with multiple fatalities. "

Bottom line, this event turned out okay, but only by the grace of God and sheer unadulterated luck !

Geez, guys, dont be soooo stupid! Shut the door, buckle up, and sit still. For all the additions to this Incident column, the initial plane ride can be the most danerous part !

[DZJ 0]

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A jumper on the plane gave up there rig and rode the plane down, so the he could still shoot video and stills for a tandem.

I hope the video man knew exactly what was in the rig he was handed. 'Borrowed gear kills', and all that.

[riggerrob 558]

Why was the door open at 300 feet?

My boss says that he installed in-flight doors in his airplanes (Cessnas and King Airs) for three reasons.

First, airplanes climb better with closed doors.

Secondly, airplanes are warmer - in cool weather - with closed doors.

Thirdly, safety. Loose pilot chutes are a non-issue when the door is closed. Our standard operating procedure involves closing the door and landing with an equipment problem. We believe that it is far safer to solve equipment problems on the ground.

[airtwardo 6]

Needless to say, everyone did reserve and main pin checks. Sadly though, I don't think enough skydivers do gear checks in the plane before exiting. The Ol'timers here should probably stress it a little more.

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I'm an 'Old Timer' (kinda) and I do stress gear checks prior to entering the aircraft, and will gladly give someone a pin / gear check if they request it in flight.

But "I" really don't want someone unfamiliar with MY rig opening things when it's on my back.

Just a personal preference...

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[MB38 0]

Just to repeat the question, what on earth was the door doing open at 300'?

I really don't know what I'm talking about.

[bigdad510 1]

Sorry All, it was 3000 feet. forgot a zero (I know, it;s a very big difference)

Our DZ policy is the door is closed on takeoff until we reach 1000 feet. Then we can open it again. We usually close it again at 6g until altitude

To answer the gear question. The camera flyer has well over 6 thousand jumps and was told what type of main and reserve were in the rig before he accepted the rig. Just so happens he had a ton of jumps on that type of canopy.

Brad

[mjosparky 3]

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Our standard operating procedure involves closing the door and landing with an equipment problem. We believe that it is far safer to solve equipment problems on the ground.

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But "I" really don't want someone unfamiliar with MY rig opening things when it's on my back.

Just a personal preference...

I agree with both statements. It is not worth the fuel and time savings to continue with the flight if there is a gear problem on the plane. Rigging should be done in the loft not in the air.

I have seen too many people give a “pin check” and have no idea what they just saw. There are very few people that I feel comfortable with screwing with my gear in the plane.

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[Andy9o8 0]

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Sorry All, it was 3000 feet. forgot a zero (I know, it;s a very big difference)

D'oh!!! You owe at least 4 of us for that one.

[bigdad510 1]

There wasn't an issue with continuing the flight. the reserve was open, the rig was taken to the fron of the aircraft and was secured.

I don't think it was necessary to take the plane back down if everything was fine after that.

Sparky, I agree about the pin check. Most of the jumpers at our dz ask the other skydivers they jump with all the time for a pin check, and not strangers. The jumpers we skydive with also make it a hbit to not only check the pins, but to say what color they see. I think that adds a little reassurance that the pin is actually being check.

I have seen on other aircraft/dz where people check the pin and say " your good". "Your good" for what, I want to know what the jumper sees. We have caught a couple pin slides on reserves and mains. We also make is a habit to look at everyones chest strap and actually point when looking to ensure everyone is routed correctly

Brad

[JohnMitchell 14]

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Just to repeat the question, what on earth was the door doing open at 300'?

Sometimes you don't have a door to close, such as a Twin Beech, DC-3, Skylane with no door, C-206, the list goes on and on. Need to be double extra careful then.

[MB38 0]

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Just to repeat the question, what on earth was the door doing open at 300'?

Sometimes you don't have a door to close, such as a Twin Beech, DC-3, Skylane with no door, C-206, the list goes on and on. Need to be double extra careful then.

Good to know, thanks for the information.

I really don't know what I'm talking about.

[mjosparky 3]

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There wasn't an issue with continuing the flight. the reserve was open, the rig was taken to the fron of the aircraft and was secured.

I think it is an issue. You have at least one jumper in the plane without a jumpable rig if there is a problem later in the flight. Depending on who interprets the regs. it may not legal to continue the flight with one jumper not wearing an “approved” parachute.

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The jumpers we skydive with also make it a hbit to not only check the pins, but to say what color they see. I think that adds a little reassurance that the pin is actually being check.

Do they check to see if the bridle is routed correctly, if the PC is in the pocket correctly and any number of other things that should be checked in what is called a “pin check?

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[bigdad510 1]

Do they check to see if the bridle is routed correctly, if the PC is in the pocket correctly and any number of other things that should be checked in what is called a “pin check?

Yes we do. That's how we've caught misrouted iems before and PC coming out of the BOC

Brad

[mjosparky 3]

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Do they check to see if the bridle is routed correctly, if the PC is in the pocket correctly and any number of other things that should be checked in what is called a “pin check?

Yes we do. That's how we've caught misrouted iems before and PC coming out of the BOC

Good.

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[skyflybabe 0]

I know that at some DZs it is usual for the door to be open until 1000 to 1500ft. A reason for this may be that if you have an aircraft emergency landing and the plane crashes, the door is open and therefore people can more easily escape. If you have to exit, then time is saved by not having to open a door.

[pinkyfloyd 0]

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I know that at some DZs it is usual for the door to be open until 1000 to 1500ft. A reason for this may be that if you have an aircraft emergency landing and the plane crashes, the door is open and therefore people can more easily escape. If you have to exit, then time is saved by not having to open a door.

um, am I the only person that's a bit scared by this post...?

[billvon 2,396]

>am I the only person that's a bit scared by this post...?

It's a good reminder that not all DZ's do things the same way.

I recall once being in a DZ in the UK. There were 5 of us on the load - two 2 ways and a solo. Spotter told us that the upper winds were really honking - so don't leave any time between exits!

[fcajump 153]

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I think it is an issue. You have at least one jumper in the plane without a jumpable rig if there is a problem later in the flight. Depending on who interprets the regs. it may not legal to continue the flight with one jumper not wearing an “approved” parachute.

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Spark,

I tend to agree with your notion here... but I've tried to find this in the regs several times and NEVER found an FAR that requires everyone on board to wear a rig. The only thing I can think of in this situation would be "landing while passenger is not in an approved seat/belt" since s/he is obviously no longer a skydiver...

(for myself, I would suggest that everyone on jump aircraft should have a rig - sport or emergency)

JW

Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

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[JohnRich 4]

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I know that at some DZs it is usual for the door to be open until 1000 to 1500ft. A reason for this may be that if you have an aircraft emergency landing and the plane crashes, the door is open and therefore people can more easily escape. If you have to exit, then time is saved by not having to open a door.

um, am I the only person that's a bit scared by this post...?

Actually, that is a procedure that is included in many aircraft manuals, for emergency off-field or water landings. The idea is that the frame could be warped or buckled by the hard landing, jamming the door shut, and trapping passengers inside a burning or sinking aircraft. So, you crack the door open prior to touchdown, to give yourself a clear exit path.

Having said that, yes, that does create a procedure conflict with skydiving operations, where an open door can create other types of hazards.