RippedCord 0 #1 August 1, 2005 Perris, CA. Broke off a five way at 4500'. Deployed at about 3500' (we were little off target and I was tracking away from DZ) and had umpteen line twists and a line over (which I should've noticed right away but didn't). Halfway through untwisting, I noticed that I had no "shape," the first thing I should've been checking for. Decided I still had enough altitude (altimeter read 1600') and cutaway: looked for the reserve handle (barely saw some silver) and tore away cutaway handle. Fumbled for for reserve handle. Finally was able to see it under my armpit and pull it. Had no RSL. Given the extraordinary length of time it seem to be taking for the reserve to pop out after pulling the handle, I estimate that I probably pulled the reserve handle at or just slightly prior to the time that the Cypres fired the cutter. When I get my rig back, the original design of the container (a Javelin J7, DOM 9-96.) will have been modified to include an RSL. My main is Spectre 230 with less than 575 jumps DOM 9-97. Reserve, PD 218R. Cypress expert DOM 3-2000. Did one more jump on rented gear to get "back in the saddle" and called it a day. AMDG Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Feeblemind 1 #2 August 1, 2005 Glad your alive!! Is that a double ride for 1st chop and 1st cypress fire Fire Safety Tip: Don't fry bacon while naked Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michele 1 #3 August 1, 2005 Man, welcome to the club.....we need to go get some coffee soon....hope you're well, and that this just adds to your experience bucket and not any other bucket. Glad you're alive. Hugs to you!! Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Reginald 0 #4 August 1, 2005 Glad you’re okay! Can you fill in a few points to help the rest of us learn. What is your hard deck and why did you go below it (I assume it is at least 1,800 feet but maybe it’s lower) Were you trained to use two hands on your cutaway handle or one on each handle? If one on each why did you not already have a hand on your silver handle when you cut away? I see you jump at Perris, given you had a Cypres fire did you receive the standard 30 day grounding? If not why? It sounds like you are adding an RSL? How does this make you feel and why?"We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things." CP Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RippedCord 0 #5 August 1, 2005 QuoteGlad you’re okay! Can you fill in a few points to help the rest of us learn. What is your hard deck and why did you go below it (I assume it is at least 1,800 feet but maybe it’s lower)I went below the 1800' because I did not check for canopy "shape" right away, and lost altitude undoing some of the twists before I realized what I had over my head. When I confirmed what my eyes saw with what the altimeter read, I was a little lower than I wanted to be. Had I been closer to 1000', I would've pulled the reserve without cutting away. QuoteWere you trained to use two hands on your cutaway handle or one on each handle? If one on each why did you not already have a hand on your silver handle when you cut away?I was trained to use two hands on each handle QuoteI see you jump at Perris, given you had a Cypres fire did you receive the standard 30 day grounding? If not why?No. The S&TA waived this. The first thing I did after I came back was go have a conversation with him to review the chain of events. QuoteIt sounds like you are adding an RSL? How does this make you feel and why?Safer. After my discussion with the S&TA, I concluded that there should be no hesitancy to make a modification to the original container design in this case--probably a part of my initial reluctance to have one installed when I first obtained the rig. AMDG Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mirage63 0 #6 August 1, 2005 Glad your okay! I was under the impression that a cypress fire was a 30 day grounding with no exceptions @ Perris. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nate_1979 9 #7 August 1, 2005 Cypress didnt save him though, he already pulled the ripcord for the reserve, .... He got a bit low, but he had enough altitude to safetly deploy his reserve.. I think that policy was ment to cover those who would have bounced had the cypress not fired. But I could be wrong FGF #??? I miss the sky... There are 10 types of people in the world... those who understand binary and those who don't. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheBachelor 5 #8 August 2, 2005 I was glad to see you get back into the air right away, Keith. You looked a little shaken up right after the mal. TerryThere are battered women? I've been eating 'em plain all of these years... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Diversgodown 0 #9 August 2, 2005 QuoteGlad your okay! I was under the impression that a cypress fire was a 30 day grounding with no exceptions @ Perris. Why do you get grounded for 30 Days and is that for most DZ's. Not that I really want to be put in that situation ***Glory Favors the Bold*** Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #10 August 2, 2005 What's your hard deck? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mirage63 0 #11 August 2, 2005 Quote Why do you get grounded for 30 Days and is that for most DZ's. Not that I really want to be put in that situation Perris has a 30 day grounded for cypress fire rule, apparently it is on a per case basis. The ST&A looked this one over and decided it was not needed. (from above post) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #12 August 2, 2005 QuoteQuote Why do you get grounded for 30 Days and is that for most DZ's. Not that I really want to be put in that situation Perris has a 30 day grounded for cypress fire rule, apparently it is on a per case basis. The ST&A looked this one over and decided it was not needed. (from above post) Here's a link to a thread discussing Perris' policy. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1300478"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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjosparky 3 #13 August 3, 2005 Keith, I am glad to hear that you handled the problem and landed safely. Has your main ever been re-lined that you know of? That might be something to look at. If you are doing Wuest Ways Sat. you will have to tell me all about it. He was not grounded, imo, because he had already started EP. I am pretty sure the grounding rule was put into effect for those that have a cypres fire while their main is deploying. That means they either lost track of where they were or pulled low in the first place. SparkyMy idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RippedCord 0 #14 August 4, 2005 The main canopy (Spectre 230, d.o.m. 9/97) has never been relined. It had "less than 250 jumps" when I bought it in October 2003 and I've put another ~270 jumps on it since then. I believe this incident was due entirely to my crappy pack job 3 weeks prior when heavy breeze kept filling up the canopy hanging on the hook, and I don't know how neat my spaghetti was. AMDG Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
