Frequency of Canopy Malfunctions

[hongkongluna 0]

How can you possibly pack a step-through? Just wondering how you let it slip by so that i dont do it. It SEEMS like it would be difficult considering all the opportunities during your pack to notice something as apparently huge as that. Wouldnt you notice at the very least when you put the bag in the container?

I'm very new myself so i'm sure theres something i'm not considering...

(sorry guys, i hijacked this thread inadvertently. Perhaps mod can start a new thread on step-thrus?)

-Rainier

Sparks Brother #1 // "I vaguely heard someone yell "wait!" but by that point i was out the door." Quote from dz.com somewhere

[ryan_turner 0]

Be ready for a malfunction on your first jump. Last year, I saw a student on a Cat. A correctly handle a two canopy out malfunction. As others have said, most of your first jump course involves learning emergency procedures. In general, skydiving fatalities aren't caused by gear malfunctions.

[fireemt97 0]

I had a malfunction on Jump #20. It was during my 3,500 Hop and Pop of all things. I did my emergency procedures like I was trained from day one and everything turned out just fine. In fact, my landing was the most accurate and soft one I had up to that date.

SUCK IT UP BUTTERCUP

[dorbie 0]

So is there an estimate for the reserve malfunction rate, not counting entanglements from horseshoes, PITs & bad chops?

If it's about 1/750 to 1/1000 for a main what is it for a reserve with a clean pull. What's the safety benefit from all that extra care & rigging regulation?

Also, can anyone guesstimate the malfunction rate on BASE jumps not counting off headings & problems that would be less critical on a skydive?

[Akey 0]

I don't know how many thousand base jumps have been made over the years, but this is how many complete mals have happened over those many many thousand, i have alot of time on my hands at this moment... Info from http://hometown.aol.com/base194/myhomepage/base_fatality_list

1. June 2nd 1982 (#3) (although this should be picked up in a gear check)
2. March 7 1983( #6) (but v. unlikly 2 ever happen in skydiving)
3. 1986 (#10) (Not sure the full details, but being sceptical this may have been a failure to deploy)
4. October, 1987 (#16) (although i doubt this would happen with a spring loaded pilot chute)
5. 1990 (#22)
6.June 10, 1990 (23) Although again, with a spring loaded pilot...)
7.December 2,1997 (52) (although doubt this would happen with spring loaded pilot)
8.September 27, 2001 (59) Report sounds v. typical media, and although it could have been a mal, could also have been base specific problem of lack of altitude.
9.August 15, 2002 (#67)
10. October 11, 2002 (#71) (but maybe would not have happened with a spring loaded pilot chute)
11.January 27, 2003 (#73)
12. October 9, 2003 (#78) But could have been a problem with over delay as opposed to gear mal.
13.March 15, 2006 (#94)

There are other deaths from impacts, but the ones which were more obviosuly due to probelms locating pilot chutes/low pulls were not included above.

Being sceptical, around 13 people have died in BASE due to gear mals. If you were to say 'that would not happen in a skydiving situation due to XYZ', then you one could well reduce that number to 4 or 5 if that.

Anyone care to make a guess how many base jumps have been made? both a high and a low number. Then you could make a rough estimate of the chances of a reserve mal.

[riggerrob 558]

If it's about 1/750 to 1/1000 for a main what is it for a reserve with a clean pull. What's the safety benefit from all that extra care & rigging regulation?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The leading cause of "reserve failure" is pulling the reserve ripcord too low. "Buddy impacted at line stretch! Guess we better go piss in his crater."

The second cause of reserve failure is delaying main deployment so low that you scare your AAD and have a main and reserve trying to deflate in the same airspace.

The third cause of reserve failure is being over-weight, over-speed unstable when you deploy your reserve.

Number 1 and 2 can be prevented by better altitude awareness.

Number 3 can be prevented by RTFM! If you have already discarded your manual, try reading the weight and airspeed limits printed on the large, ugly, orange warning label on the tail of your reserve.

[dorbie 0]

In the context of my question I don't really consider 1 & 2 failures and most of 3 wouldn't be either.

I'm really just looking for opinions on the reliability of the system in an unimpeded stable deployment vs. a main.

Hence my question about reserves and base. I guess it's practically impossible to get these numbers because of 1, 2 & 3 and the low statistical sampling & reportage. Maybe it doesn't much matter since these other factors dominate.

[Akey 0]

Okay we could split hairs all day. The thing is, there is no point worrying about it. If its going to fail, its going to fail, but if so, what was the point of worrying anyway, coz it was always going to happen!

[dorbie 0]

Hopefully you'll learn not to equate worry with curiosity & getting input from more experienced jumpers, which is all I was doing.

[Akey 0]

Oh no no, i'm sorry, i did not mean it like that at all, and i am sorry if any offence was caused, i do not wish to sound big headed, i know i have the most to learn of everyone.

[freakydiver 0]

I've been jumping for 12 years, never packed a malfunctioning parachute for me or others. I've packed some really dodgy pack jobs too here and there. Truth be told (at least for me) - it isn't the parachute that will get you, it is the other person in the air under parachute or losing altitude awareness that will get you (if anything "gets you" that is).

-- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

[chrismgtis 0]

My tandem instructor, Gene Stuart in Chester, SC has over 2700 jumps and not one main canopy failure. I was pretty impressed by that. I'm sure it has a lot to do with how well you are trained and how well you pack your chute.

Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033
Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan