Must read for every skydiver......

[obelixtim 100]

http://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2016/03/three-ring-mistake/

Although this was a tandem jump, the thoughts behind it apply to everyone. An excellent piece of writing.

Edit. Can someone make it a clicky...or just copy the link into a new address bar. Thanks.

My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

[monkycndo 0]

www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2016/03/three-ring-mistake/

50 donations so far. Give it a try.

You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

[pchapman 261]

A decent article. I wouldn't call it a must read, but anyway....

Summary:

A very very experienced TI missed a 3 ring flip through, and ended up having to land a tandem with a jammed and messed up 3 ring assembly. He didn't know if it would hold or break while under canopy.

The moral of the story is 'it can happen to anyone'. He also lists a standard list of cognitive biases that people have, that apply to situations like that. One expects to see what one usually sees, one expects things to go smoothly as they usually do, etc.

[obelixtim 100]

pchapman

A decent article. I wouldn't call it a must read, but anyway....

Summary:

A very very experienced TI missed a 3 ring flip through, and ended up having to land a tandem with a jammed and messed up 3 ring assembly. He didn't know if it would hold or break while under canopy.

The moral of the story is 'it can happen to anyone'. He also lists a standard list of cognitive biases that people have, that apply to situations like that. One expects to see what one usually sees, one expects things to go smoothly as they usually do, etc.

I called it a must read simply because it is a classic example of a simple error made by an experienced jumper, which is a lesson everyone can take. Skydiving is easy, but its important that people develop thinking skills to go with it.

His list of cognitive biases is not something your average jumper would necessarily be aware of. It is food for thought, especially for newbies coming up through the ranks, or experienced jumpers who have not had the benefit of a tertiary education in the field of cognitive development, as some of us have.

Kudos to the jumper in question for being honest with himself, I know a lot of egocentric jumpers who would try to shift blame to someone else, the packer in this case, for example.

My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

[Lukasz_Se 2]

We had a similar situation on our dropzone few years ago. I'm not 100 procent sure if I remember the details correctly.
-rushed pack job, two packers worked on the rig to make it quicker, flipped 3 rings on the right side which they didn't notice
-tandem instructor was already waiting by the plane when the rig was driven to him
-the white loop broke from the opening shock
-now the pair was under a streaming canopy at near terminal velocity
-TM could not locate cutaway handle
-TM dig out the yellow cable with his finger, cutaway and deployed the reserve.
This was a very experienced TM with 5000 tandem jumps at the time.

[obelixtim 100]

My point was not so much about the detail of the incident itself, but more about the factors which can lead to jumpers missing the apparently obvious.

These points he made are something I think every skydiver, no matter their experience level, should ponder and assimilate, and perhaps come up with strategies to warn them, or set off an alarm bell in their brain when they find themselves in similar situations (like many repetitive types of jumps or behaviours) when we tend to get a little lazy or sloppy over time.

In this particular case, it would be nice to think some other jumper on the load might have noticed the problem, but its a classic example of others not "seeing" because the jumper himself, being highly competent, would not be expected to mess up. An inexperienced jumper might also feel a bit shy about pointing something out to more experienced people.

Something as simple as giving others on the load a more careful scrutiny before loading or on the way to altitude could be one thing everyone could do, for example...

I've caught more than one person in the plane with misrouted chest straps, but its the kind of thing I'm always looking out for, its a simple mistake, but with potentially deadly consequences.

We need to look out for each other.

My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

[richoH 6]

Does anyone have a picture of flipped 3 rings? I'm not sure I understand how this happens during packing. I could understand it more if it was during reassembly after a chop?

[gowlerk 1,903]

richoH

Does anyone have a picture of flipped 3 rings? I'm not sure I understand how this happens during packing. I could understand it more if it was during reassembly after a chop?

http://parachutistonline.com/safety_training/keep_an_eye_out/3-ring-flip-through

It can happen at any time there is no load on the 3 rings. It's very common on tandems, probably because the larger rings make it easier. Sit down with any rig and put the centre ring through the large ring while the small ring is in place. That's a flip through.

Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

[RockSkyGirl 10]

There's another picture in this article, on sport gear. When you hover the mouse over it, it pops up as "misrouted RSL" but it's actually a 3-ring flip-through. Compare to the parachutist photo in gowlerk's link.
http://www.skydivemag.com/article/gear-checks

[obelixtim 100]

That illustrates the point perfectly, as does the vid of the base jumper who forgot his pilot chute, and the pic of the guy with the sideways canopy (one I've not seen before, the lines have been attached to the risers incorrectly.....)

How DO these things happen?

Carelessness, ignorance, inattention, complacency.

But mostly STUPIDITY!!!

No excuse for this nonsense, and no place in skydiving.

I am just amazed there aren't more fatalities.

My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

[jurgencamps 0]

See also this report about a rappelling accident some years ago. (several checks and nobody saw the mistake)
http://wildfiretoday.com/2010/03/04/report-released-on-usfs-rappelling-fatality/

[BKS60 0]

richoH

Does anyone have a picture of flipped 3 rings? I'm not sure I understand how this happens during packing. I could understand it more if it was during reassembly after a chop?

My experience is the flip through does not typically happen during packing but while turning around while picking up the canopy after landing. I have this happen commonly on my tandem rig and expect it so its the first thing I address when I take the rig off. I pack for myself so it has not been an issue. Have never had it happen on my sport rig but find myself looking for it out of habit.

"You don't get many warnings in this sport before you get damaged"

[riggerrob 558]

We need 2 or 3 levels of inspection to catch common errors.

A second set of eye balls is always the best inspection tool.

For example: multiple gear checks.
I used to think multiple gear checks were just another military method to remove the fun from every activity, but now I understand the logic.

Pre-flight check your gear before you put it on.
JM check student gear immediately after dressing.
Casually glance over other people's gear as you walk to the plane.
Formal gear checks just before boarding the plane.
Casually glancing over other people's gear during the plane ride.
"3 of 3" checks after un-belting.
Asking your buddy to check your pins just before jump-run.

When you are checking your own gear, use 2 or more senses: eyes plus finger-tips.

A second set of eye-balls is always the best inspection tool.

For example, yesterday I finished sewing a batch of harnesses, but will do the final inspection today. Hopefully another rigger will be available to do an independent final inspection.

[JohnMitchell 14]

Agree, repetitive checks are the key. I'm almost OCD with my tandem gear, checking it

-before putting it on
-after putting it on.
-before climbing on the plane
-after seatbelts off
-halfway up
-before hooking up student
-3 times after hooking up student
-anytime in between that I feel like checking it.

My checks are all five handles, 3 buckles, both 3 rings and the RSL attachment. I agree with the article that you have to force yourself to see what's there, not what you want or expect to see.

[AdD 1]

As a TM I also like to correct this problem when dropping the rig at the packing mat if I see it rather than leaving it to the packer.

Life is ez
On the dz
Every jumper's dream
3 rigs and an airstream

[RyanMarshall 0]

Great article, thanks for sharing. As a newbie this really helps emphasize the importance of proper gear checks. I'm going to have my rigger show me this malfunction on the DZs tandem gear out of curiosity.

[obelixtim 100]

RyanMarshall

Great article, thanks for sharing. As a newbie this really helps emphasize the importance of proper gear checks. I'm going to have my rigger show me this malfunction on the DZs tandem gear out of curiosity.

This problem is not limited to tandem gear. Good on you for asking your rigger or more experienced colleagues to show you what can happen. Keep doing it.

My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

[wolfriverjoe 1,340]

I saw a 3 ring flip through on a sport rig last weekend. We had just done a jump together, and when he laid it out on the mat, he saw it "wasn't right", but really didn't know what was wrong.
I had to take a good look at it before I realized what it was (although I clearly saw that it "wasn't right" too).

I had to wiggle and work it a bit to get it back right, then when the owner asked "how did it get that way?", was able to flip it wrong again with next to no effort, just push the right (wrong?) way.

And, of course, then had to wiggle, work and fight to get it back right again.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[sammielu 3]

wolfriverjoe: can you recreate the 3-ring thing you saw to post a picture? I know you know what you mean, but I'm confused.
Maybe you mean an inverted 3 ring and use different language than I would to describe it. I know what a flip through is on a canopy but haven't seen that term apply to 3 ring assembly... Dual Hawk 3D rings can jam up when on the ground (no tension in the system), where they're locked up in a 45-degree angle and won't lay flat, I'd be curious to see that on a sport rig with circular 3 rings.

[wolfriverjoe 1,340]

sammielu

wolfriverjoe: can you recreate the 3-ring thing you saw to post a picture? I know you know what you mean, but I'm confused.
Maybe you mean an inverted 3 ring and use different language than I would to describe it. I know what a flip through is on a canopy but haven't seen that term apply to 3 ring assembly... Dual Hawk 3D rings can jam up when on the ground (no tension in the system), where they're locked up in a 45-degree angle and won't lay flat, I'd be curious to see that on a sport rig with circular 3 rings.

Not right now, I'm not in a position to access gear.

It looked a lot like THIS.

Standard 3 rings. The riser had rolled forward with no tension on it (probably with the riser being pushed towards the 3 rings), and the middle sized ring had gone through the big ring and was now on the back side of it. All the tension would have been on the little ring, it's attachment and the white loop.

This had happened sometime after landing, probably when gathering up the canopy.

Just take an open rig, push the riser towards the MLW, and roll it forward. The middle ring can push through the big ring. It was a lot harder to get it back out that it was to do it when I recreated it.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo