Reviewing Emergency Procedures

[jumpjunkie2004 0]

Yesterday, a friend of mine called to tell me that she had a really scary jump. She opened up with horrible line twists and she was still trying to get out of them at 1,400 feet. I asked her why she did not cutaway.

Her reply, "I didn't even think of it."

Her response concerns me. She said that everyone told her that she should have cutaway, but it didn't even come into her brain as an option.

She has over 200 jumps. I asked her how often she reviews safety procedures. She said every jump. I've seen her do this on the plane - touch the handles, and practice the motions.

However, this "review" isn't what I meant. We have a hanging harness at our dz and photos to look at. I'm new - so I do this once each weekend.
She seemed offended by my question about going over emergency procedures.

So, here are my questions:

How often do you go over "emergency" procedures?

Has this ever happened to you?

Am I over reacting because I'm new?

I told her that I'm really worried about her, and think that she should spend some time in the hanging harness - drilling in the emergency procedures.

It's one thing to say - I'm at 2,500 feet - I have line twists - I could cutaway, but I am sure I can get out of them.

Jump, Land, Pack, Repeat...

[AFFI 0]

IMHO - Continued training concerning emergency procedures for canopy malfunctions and canopy piloting situations are grossly neglected by skydivers that I have been subjected to over the years. I have seen people have accidents resulting in serious injuries and fatalities as a direct result of a lack of continued and continual training. After student status, continue to train as if your life depends on it. There is much more to skydiving than being able to do cool maneuvers in freefall. If you do not first and foremost get a parachute over your head, then land it safely and remain unharmed then it is very difficult to get on the next load. I cannot recall a single ascent in an airplane when one of the skydivers onboard who were preparing to skydive had their femurs showing…
Who is responsible for your safety when you decide to skydive? The DZO? Your Instructor? Your parents? Of course you are responsible for your own safety – but who will be affected if you are seriously injured or killed? Do you have family? Children? Are there others who are counting on you to be as safe as you can be? Perhaps everyone has varying answers to this question but the fact remains; you are responsible to acquire the knowledge and training to better ensure that you will get to go home and eat your dinner and hug your loved ones at the end of the skydiving day. There is an old saying that “you pay your money and you take your chances”. Personally, I really want to go home tonight and kiss my dinner and eat my wife, and sometimes shit just happens BUT I will do all I can to reduce the “chance” that I will be in a mishap whilst skydiving by training thoroughly. Besides, training is fun – my favorite part of military service was Boot Camp. Many of us hate to pack but wouldn’t think of jumping an unpacked parachute, like training, isn’t packing a form or preparation? So the choice is yours, you can either chew your dinner tonight or be fed through a tube…

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

[wmw999 2,166]

Back when people jumped more complex systems (capewells, chest reserves) it was common for rainy or windy days to involve cutaway practice in a hanging harness. This was fun, because it could include both beer and torture (spinning the subject, yelling at them, jerking them around).

Now I see the "cutaway trainers" that you lean against. Not the same.

1400 feet is way too long to deal with a malfunction, unless it's spinning really really slowly and you started off really high, and you're spending all your time looking at the altimeter.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[FrogNog 1]

At what altitude did her line twists start?
How did she know what altitude they started and that she was out of them at 1,400 feet? (I assume she looked at her alti, but just checking.)

Was she checking altitude the whole time? Or did she "forget" about altitude/time from start to finish?

-=-=-=-=-
Pull.

[jumpjunkie2004 0]

She told me that she opened with line twists which were a result of body position. She was still tracking when she pulled. I believe that she pulls at around 3,500. She said she still had line twists at 1,400, but she managed to get them worked out in time to land safely - however, off the dz.

My concern is that she was still messing around trying to fix them below 2,000 feet. My "decision altitude" is 2,500 feet. If the parachute isn't working properly by then, I plan to cutaway. This has been drilled into my head a over and over.

She told me that it did not occur to her to cutaway. I don't want this to happen to me.

I know that each year we have safety day. My concern is that an annual review of safety procedures may not be adequate for some of us with less experience. I know that it is my job to ensure my own safety, and plan to review safety procedures at least once each weekend I'm at the dz.

Hopefully, some of the people that read this post will take a couple extra minutes to review safety procedures before their next skydive.

Jump, Land, Pack, Repeat...

[OSOK 0]

I'm sorry, but what does it mean exactly by having the lines twised? Does it mean that the right/left lines are switched but with the parachute fully open? or is the parachute not fully deployed?

[kebrinho 0]

what was her canopy size? if you have a larger canopy, line twist are not always to be cutaway because the speed doesn't increases so much and you have enough time to solve it without cutaway

Kebrinho da Skydiver - going insane due to lack of adrenaline

[jumpjunkie2004 0]

I'm going to go out on a limb here - these two jumps must be tandems if you don't know what line twists are.

From the SIM (Skydivers Information Manuel)

LINE TWIST: n. A condition of parachute opening where the canopy has attained full or nearly full inflation but one or more complete twists have developed in the lines and/or risers. Can be dangerous when associated with a spin.

It's like a swing. Remember turning yourself on a swing and the chains crossed and eventually got so tight you couldn't make them any tighter. When you let go, you start to spin out of them. If you are going really fast, you can spin back into them in the opposite direction.

Does that make sense?

She has a Sabre 2 170 - and her exit weight is probably about 180 (I'm guessing).

The point of this isn't only that she was still trying to clear line twists at 1,400 feet - my point is that she didn't even think about cutting. It didn't even cross her mind. She didn't say - I could cut, but I know my canopy and I know that I'll be able to clear this.

Jump, Land, Pack, Repeat...

[jumpjunkie2004 0]

This is also from the SIM (Section 5-1 Part E)

3. All malfunctions can be classified as one of two types:

a. total malfunction (parachute not activated, or activated but not deploying):

b. partial malfunction (parachute deployed but not landable):

4. You should decide upon and take the appropriate actions by a predetermined altitude:

a. Students and A-license holders: 2,500 feet.

b. B-D license holders: 1,800 feet

She is an A license holder. She is qualified for the B license - she just hasn't taken the written test.

Jump, Land, Pack, Repeat...

[Ron 7]

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My concern is that she was still messing around trying to fix them below 2,000 feet. My "decision altitude" is 2,500 feet. If the parachute isn't working properly by then, I plan to cutaway. This has been drilled into my head a over and over.

She told me that it did not occur to her to cutaway. I don't want this to happen to me.

Get over the fear of your reserve.

1. Watch it get packed, its not done by magic.

2. Jump a reserve....PD will send you one you can jump as a main.

3. Look forward to your first ride. It is a major accomplishment, and sets you apart from the "others"....Plus being able to tell a whuffo you had a parachute not open is GREAT

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

[jumpjunkie2004 0]

Quote

3. Look forward to your first ride. It is a major accomplishment, and sets you apart from the "others"....Plus being able to tell a whuffo you had a parachute not open is GREAT

I look forward to my first reserve ride because I think it will make me more confident with my ability to react under extreme circumstances.

In my world, telling a whuffo that I jump out of airplanes is enough to cause a big stir. I've heard it all - I must not really love my children,etc. I've gotten to the point that I don't even bring it up unless someone asks about it.

Jump, Land, Pack, Repeat...

[Joellercoaster 6]

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Plus being able to tell a whuffo you had a parachute not open is GREAT

Darn - you are so right. Telling them I cleared my f1rst lineover (OK, it was only a little one, and I was at 5k, but still) on the weekend is totally failing to impress them

Reserve ride would have been way cooler.

On the plus side, I saved that money, so I'll call it even.

--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

[OSOK 0]

Thank you for the clarification.

And yes, both my jumps have been tandems. I'm doing the IAF course, which is first three tandems and then 6 instructor-assisted.

[jumpjunkie2004 0]

There is a ton of great information in the SIM.

http://www.uspa.org/publications/SIM/2005SIM/section1.htm

Jump, Land, Pack, Repeat...