New Reserves and Packing Data Cards

[Mitchell603 0]

Bought a brand new reserve second hand, there was no packing data card included. Is this a common practice with manufacturers and what is the remedy?

[mark 102]

Remedy:  start a new card.  The packing data card is not a maintenance log.  No required information has been lost.

[gowlerk 1,901]

Funny thing that. Most people will tell you that the data card should follow the canopy if the system is split up. However, a new reserve canopy does not come from the factory with a data card, the harness and container does. So, to directly answer your question, yes it is a standard (more than common) practice.

[reactor 1]

if packing data card goes with reserve, then harness container owner will not be able to track what has been done on harness or container. 

[gowlerk 1,901]

6 minutes ago, reactor said:

if packing data card goes with reserve, then harness container owner will not be able to track what has been done on harness or container. 

That is correct. There is no real "rule". Just past practice. That is why PD and some others now leave a place for repack and deployment info on the label.

[mark 102]

10 hours ago, reactor said:

if packing data card goes with reserve, then harness container owner will not be able to track what has been done on harness or container. 

For US equipment, the packing data card is not a maintenance data card.  There is no requirement to use the packing data card to track what maintenance has been done on harness or container.

Edited June 14, 2019 by mark

[reactor 1]

29 minutes ago, mark said:

For US equipment, the packing data card is not a maintenance data card.  There is no requirement to use the packing data card to track what maintenance has been done on harness or container.

FAA require rigger to write down date/place/work performed on packing data card. simple maintenance might not need to be track, but what about major repair or alteration?

I had a container that has been altered previously, a rigger fund out some issue on the alteration, and use the detail on data card, he got in contact with the person who performed the alteration. They then discuss what had been done, how should have been done.

[mark 102]

19 minutes ago, reactor said:

FAA require rigger to write down date/place/work performed on packing data card. simple maintenance might not need to be track, but what about major repair or alteration?

14 CFR Part 65.131.c:  Five required items on an FAA data card:  date and place of packing, rigger certificate number and signature, notation of defects found during the inspection.  "Work performed" is not a required item.  "Major repair" or "alteration" is not a required item. "Locating previous riggers" is not a required item.  The inspection shows the equipment is either airworthy, or it is not.

[reactor 1]

17 minutes ago, mark said:

14 CFR Part 65.131.c:  Five required items on an FAA data card:  date and place of packing, rigger certificate number and signature, notation of defects found during the inspection.  "Work performed" is not a required item.  "Major repair" or "alteration" is not a required item. "Locating previous riggers" is not a required item.  The inspection shows the equipment is either airworthy, or it is not.

thanks for the information.

so is it mandatory or common practice to have packing data card goes with reserve?

do i violate any regulation if i sell a reserve without packing card? 

because there are already box on canopy label that can show number of repack and use. 

Edited June 15, 2019 by reactor

[riggerrob 558]

FAA and PIA policy is for the old packing data card to go with the reserve canopy.

All the other parts go with the harness/container.

Conscientious sellers will ship a photo-copy of the card with the container.

They might also send a photo-copy of the reserve packing data card with the AAD. Mind you, many AAD manufacturers now send separate cards specifically to record AAD maintenance: factory inspections, cutter replacements, Service Bulletins, etc.

I disagree with Mark because I believe that all Service Bulletins, modifications, harness alterations, etc. should be written on the reserve packing data card. It is a professional courtesy to the next rigger.

[mark 102]

2 hours ago, reactor said:

so is it mandatory or common practice to have packing data card goes with reserve?

do i violate any regulation if i sell a reserve without packing card? 

because there are already box on canopy label that can show number of repack and use. 

For the FAA: 

It is not mandatory, just common practice to have the packing data card go with the reserve.

No, you do not violate any US regulation by selling a reserve without a packing card.

Not all reserves have a place on the canopy label to show repacks and uses.  

 

[mark 102]

3 minutes ago, riggerrob said:

FAA and PIA policy is for the old packing data card to go with the reserve canopy.

All the other parts go with the harness/container.

Conscientious sellers will ship a photo-copy of the card with the container.

They might also send a photo-copy of the reserve packing data card with the AAD. Mind you, many AAD manufacturers now send separate cards specifically to record AAD maintenance: factory inspections, cutter replacements, Service Bulletins, etc.

I disagree with Mark because I believe that all Service Bulletins, modifications, harness alterations, etc. should be written on the reserve packing data card. It is a professional courtesy to the next rigger.

There is no FAA or PIA policy for the old packing data card to go with the reserve canopy.  There is just a reference (I think) in Poynter's Parachute Manual about sewing old cards to new ones.

I disagree with RiggerRob, because (a) it doesn't matter for the inspection what is written on the data card, and (b) writing extra stuff on the data card creates additional liability for the rigger who records it.  But Rob is Canadian and I'm American, so we might have different perspectives, and there might be different legal issues and requirements.