Misrouted Cheststrap – How to survive?

[AFFI 0]

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If I ever find myself in freefall I will grab the right side of my harness with my left and pitch, then hug myself and try to grab the right side before opening shock....I will also try and sit back as fast as possible to take the opening shock on my legs, not my chest.

I know someone who handled this situation like this and survived but he did not specify sitting back during opening shock. When I was experimenting with how much or far back to sit up during deployment I learned that if I go too far with it the opening shock will be harder. Still, this sounds like a better plan of action than freefall gear corrections or rigging – guess it depends on the altitude and maintaining altitude awareness while trying to fix the problem.

Like the PC in Tow there are different ways to handle that high speed situation but the USPA recommends that the jumper have a preplanned course of action.

Mykel AFF-I10
Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

[dharma1976 0]

hmmm how to survive this, remember your gear checks silly...

my gear checks on plane
1. handles and deployment ()includes giving myself the reach around)
2. chest strap
3. leg straps
4. sunglasses retainer

if you get in the habit of doing this all the time, it takes like 10 seconds max...maybe someone shoudl tell this person to start doing that and why...

Cheers

Dave

http://www.skyjunky.com

CSpenceFLY - I can't believe the number of people willing to bet their life on someone else doing the right thing.

[lisamariewillbe 1]

The 51 jump number got a free jump and a second apology.... better then beer , and free training on if that jumper finds out in freefall they have a mis-routed strap. It showed the 51# that regardless of numbers, the most important thing in skydiving is attention to details no matter what, and that regardless everyone has something to offer to this sport... everyone

Sudsy Fist: i don't think i'd ever say this
Sudsy Fist: but you're looking damn sudsydoable in this

[Elisha 1]

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Ah, I see. Buckle not done up!
I could see how that would be a problem. I was tought to tug on my chest strap after doing it up, and a tug on each others chest strap is part of our flightline check, so hopefully this shouldn't be a problem. Thank for that!

At Eloy a week or so ago, I kept wondering why my chest strap (the elastic keeper part - not the buckle) kept sliding back toward the buckle...then realized it was misrouted. I fixed by about 8K while still on the climb. Yikes! I had noticed the sliding keeper even before boarding, but just didn't figure out the buckle/misrouting at the time as the reason why it was sliding back.

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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R - “I would have noticed it in freefall, rolled onto my back and fixed it then”.

Secondly I wonder how people that have noticed their chest strap misrouted in freefall have dealt with the situation. Even if it was noticed at a high altitude it seems to me like it would be difficult to route.

One of the jumpers at our DZ did that.

He got his chest strap re-routed, flipped over, ended up with two out when he pulled his main and the Cypres fired the reserve, and he got the whole thing on video.

[firstime 0]

***Throughout the course so far, I have made many grievous errors in life

that is my point my friend. Stop using the "100 jump wonder thing"to make a point. People who use that term
have graduated into the skygod class. How about this
" I saw a misrouted chest strap on a fellow SKYDIVER"

[Elisha 1]

It has been frequently pointed out that the most "dangerous" group of skydivers are around the 100-800 jump range - which we both fit in. Try having some humility and be less sensitive. Most skydivers use the term "100 Jump Wonder" - including most "100 Jump Wonder"s! Relax.

[Scoop 0]

I have routed it incorrectly beofre with it going back under the outside edge of one strap and across my chest. I cant see what the implications would have been if had reamined like that. Anyway my AFFI pointed it out during gear check.

[AFFI 0]

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I have routed it incorrectly beofre with it going back under the outside edge of one strap and across my chest. I cant see what the implications would have been if had reamined like that.

That a skydiver could possibly fall out of their harness during freefall or opening shock. It has happened before as a result of a mis/non-routed chest strap.

Mykel AFF-I10
Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

[Andy_Copland 0]

Its a bit humiliating but i done it on my last jump. It was spotted on the ground. It was my first jump where i needed a knife and i'd geared up and forgot it. I remembered with a few minutes to go and quickly undone my chest strap and got it on. I basically threaded the strap through the same hole and it looked fine. I dont even know the womens name who spotted it as i've only seen her at the DZ once.

I have a small frame aswell and believe i would have fell out if i didnt notice in freefall. That women has taught me a very valuble lesson i wont forget.

1338

People aint made of nothin' but water and shit.

Until morale improves, the beatings will continue.

[NWFlyer 2]

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Stop using the "100 jump wonder thing"to make a point. People who use that term
have graduated into the skygod class. How about this
" I saw a misrouted chest strap on a fellow SKYDIVER"

If anyone deserves the "100 jump wonder" moniker it's a skydiver who thinks a misrouted chest strap is no big deal and that he/she will "notice and fix it in freefall." If you don't even notice it on your gear checks, are you going to notice it in freefall? Probably not, unless it is completely unthreaded and slapping you in the face.

I've never met AFFI personally, but his posts on here paint the picture of someone who is both thoughtful and humble. I'm willing to bet that AFFI wouldn't have even reported this story (or if he had, he wouldn't have used the term "100 jump wonder") if the skydiver in question had responded with something less than arrogance about the situation.

As a "200 jump wonder" myself, if someone ever points out a misrouted chest strap (or other gear issue), my response will always be "thank you for pointing that out." I don't care if the person pointing it out is a student (it makes me happy that they're practicing what they're learning about gear checks) or a skydiver with many thousands of jumps (and yes, I once had an Airspeed member ask if he could tuck my pilot chute in when it was hanging partially out of my BOC). I appreciate my fellow skydivers looking out for me, regardless of their experience level.

Then I'll wonder "how did I miss that?" and consider whether I need to change anything in my jump prep or gear checks to prevent that from happening again.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[ladyskydiver 0]

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So if there is anyone out there willing to admit they screwed the pooch publicly and survived by managing to remain in the harness during opening shock – how did you do it?

Yes, I was that person. On jump # 17, my chest strap came undone in freefall. I had done a gear check a few times on the ground, once when I sat down (Casa) and once again when we were getting on jump run. Didn't realize that I had it misrouted.

I had just completed 2 backloops out of the Casa, broke from my coach and then redocked. When the 2-way was built, I felt something was "wrong" with my gear and was starting to analyze what felt wrong and figure out what was going on when my coach held my chest strap in front of my face. My thoughts at the time were "Oh, shit...I'm fucked." Smiled at my coach 'cause this could very well be the last time I was going to see him, with my left arm grabbed the right side of my harness and tossed my pilot chute out. As soon as I tossed the pilot chute, I grabbed a hold of my left side of the harness with my right hand and prayed.....and lucked out. Ended up under canopy totally freaking out about what could have happened...probably could have made a sailor blush with the words I was using at that time to verbally chastise myself for being an "idiot."

Got down and my coach reviewed chest strap routing with me, and I have been anal about it ever since.

Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile.

[Scoop 0]

Sounds like its very common amongst newer jumpers. It takes you your own fuck up to realise the dangers and become anal. Im amazed there isnt more incidents

Take care people

[scaryshari 0]

Just a note - no intention to hijack - I'm a 400 "jump wonder" and have noted that many times new jumpers come through, fighting the "cool" factor of gear checks.

I would personally like to know the source of the pressure for NOT checking your gear. It is your life, but something like a preemie can easily kill you or others around you (a simple pin check and a peek at your hackey takes how long?).

Let's take care of ourselves and each other out there. Gravity/earth doesn't give a crap about any of our choices..be safe.

is

[FrogNog 1]

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Sorry guys I need some description of what is been talk about here, you either secure your cheststrap or not, how can you misroute the cheststrap but just giving the webbing a twist and passing it thru the locking housing this will only make it harder to release, I'm sure I'm getting the wrong picture here!!!! anyone?

Most chest strap buckles are not self-locking: they requires the chest strap to pass through them on the far side of their floating metal bar, make a 180 degree turn, and pass back through on the near side of the floating metal bar. This way any tension on the running end of chest strap will press the floating bar up against the running end of the chest strap. Friction between the bar and both ends of the chest strap is supposed to keep the chest strap from moving. If the friction does not do this well enough, the stopper on the chest strap is supposed to catch on the floating bar before the chest strap comes loose.

A common misrouting is when the chest strap passes through the buckle only once. Less common misroutings would be passing the chest strap through the buckle twice on the same side of the floating bar, or threading the chest strap through the buckle in reverse order - on the near side of the floating bar first, then on the far side second.

-=-=-=-=-
Pull.

[AFFI 0]

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I would personally like to know the source of the pressure for NOT checking your gear.

Some would argue that they do in fact gear check but they gear check themselves - do you mean that you do not understand why a skydiver, irregardless of skill level or jump numbers not get a gear check from a fellow skydiver as opposed to relying only on themselves? Personally I believe in gear checks on the gear I am about to jump by a fellow skydiver someone other than myself.

Back in 03 I emailed Don Y. concerning this very same issue he replied:

Hi, Mykel,
Just because ‘everybody does it’ doesn’t mean that they are correct. Lots of dead guys should have had a pin check. Remember Murphy’s Laws #whatever- ‘You are not Superman’, and neither am I.
Clear Skies,
Don

[JohnRich 4]

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It has been frequently pointed out that the most "dangerous" group of skydivers are around the 100-800 jump range - which we both fit in. Try having some humility and be less sensitive. Most skydivers use the term "100 Jump Wonder" - including most "100 Jump Wonder"s! Relax.

Side comment: The term "100-jump wonder" really is less about the person's number of jumps, and more about the person's know-it-all attitude. Someone could have 500 jumps and still be a "100-jump wonder" for ignoring good advice, in my opinion.

[JohnRich 4]

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Sounds like its very common amongst newer jumpers.

This old fuddy duddy doesn't remember chest straps being such a big problem back in the days when gear used B-12 snap hardware for a chest strap attachment. It was either snapped or not, and there was no ambiguity about it. But B-12 snaps would never fly today - they're way too uncool.

[scaryshari 0]

Mykel: I'm referring to new jumpers, who after having gear checks pounded into their brains, immediately stop.

is

[Jumpah 0]

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My thoughts at the time were "Oh, shit...I'm fucked." Smiled at my coach 'cause this could very well be the last time I was going to see him

Damn...well played!

[AFFI 0]

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Mykel: I'm referring to new jumpers, who after having gear checks pounded into their brains, immediately stop.

When I had around 1000 jumps I was still getting visual gear checks on the plane before each exit because that is how I was taught and it seemed sensible. Believe it or not it was a very "experienced" TI/AFFI with 10,000+ jumps who told me that I did not need one because the brand new container I was jumping was "bullet proof" that all I needed to do was reach back and check my own pin. So I made many self check exits - then I really started looking at the safety aspects of skydiving as I was in pursuit of the AFFI rating. I went back to getting gear checks because I felt the need to lead by example and I don’t care how inept it makes me appear - there are dead skydivers whose deaths may have been prevented by getting a gear check, still looking for an incident report where a fatality was caused by getting a gear check.

I believe gear checks have been discussed ad nauseam before but here they are popping up again when discussing what others have chosen as a predetermined course of action if they notice in freefall that their chest strap was not secure. Guess it all goes back to prevention in the first place but if you screw the pooch then what?

Mykel AFF-I10
Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

[Sky15 0]

Just wanted to add that I never give JUST a pin check on the ground, anyone that asks for one will get a full gear check, and they always appreciate it. Might be the AFFI in me. I also visually check everyone's gear that is in my vision (esp. chest strap and hackey/handles) during the ride up.

I have also seen someone very experienced on a Women's World Record jump years ago forget to route it correctly. I just happened to notice as I was facing her in the plane.

[AFFI 0]

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Just wanted to add that I never give JUST a pin check on the ground, anyone that asks for one will get a full gear check, and they always appreciate it. Might be the AFFI in me. I also visually check everyone's gear that is in my vision (esp. chest strap and hackey/handles) during the ride up.

Me too - DITTO.

I remember when I was early in my skydiving I would always ask this particular instructor for a gear check and he was the same way, it was very comforting for me and he always used te same line after the check - "you'll live"...

It helped me a lot as I was still struggling with jumping at the time, my brain had not adjusted to what I was doing yet...

Mykel AFF-I10
Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

[BlindBrick 0]

I have never fully misrouted a chest strap that I didn't notice on gear check, but once I did open my chest strap to the stop, in the plane, and forgot to retighten it before exit. It's a sick feeling to watch the shoulders of your rig just keep getting farther and farther apart on opening.

-Blind

"If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

[Ron 7]

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that is my point my friend. Stop using the "100 jump wonder thing"to make a point. People who use that term
have graduated into the skygod class. How about this
" I saw a misrouted chest strap on a fellow SKYDIVER"

Why does it bother you to say "100 jump wonder"?

You just gave an AFFI a rash of shit over a term that has been around skydiving longer than all of us.

THAT is the definition of "100 jump wonder".

Someone else said that the danger area is 100-800 jumps. And its true. Its when people start to think they know what they are doing they get hurt/killed.

True story...After my 100th jump my best friend tackled me and a group of folks pied me. Then my best friend walked up and in front of EVERYONE said, "Gongrats, we now think you will bounce with at least something out. It will not be the right thing, and it will not be in time, but at least you will pull something."

I could have:
A. Gotten pissed and never talked to him again.
B. Eventually stolen his GF, and now be planning on going to CA for his 40th bday party.

Which do you think I did?

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334