Tandem jump goes to sh*t...

[redramdriver 0]

The video made the cover page on Yahoo.com this morning when I looked...does "viral" mean any thing?

So, you bring your beer?

Its 5 o'clock somewhere
POPS #9344

[sacex250 0]

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uh oh, first photo that comes up now when you type "skydive" on google, i didn't think this would affect tandem numbers that badly at first, now i'm not so sure

No real damage done to the sport. I've seen a number of posts saying this has motivated them to book their tandem. People are funny and will figure that falling out of their harness is less of a risk. I mean an old lady managed to hang on so how hard can it be? (I'm giving a whuffo viewpoint, not mine)

I'll bet that in the mainstream media an elderly woman comes off as a fool, and the TI comes off as a hero. After all, he did save her life!

It's all been said before, no sense repeating it here.

[billeisele 122]

it's on MSN now, the general consensus is that it must be fake, it is a stunt man in a wig, woo hoo

deservedly so, this guy has been beat up but how does this stuff happen, wondering 3 things:

- how can a tandem passenger walk around a DZ, and board a plane with critical safety straps hanging down, does no one look at each other's gear?
- how can the 3 experienced jumpers nearest the exit participate in the activity or just let it happen - does no one have any sense?
- how does the TI get the passenger back into a vertical position for landing? the video doesn't appear to show her hanging upside down, great job for that

Give one city to the thugs so they can all live together. I vote for Chicago where they have strict gun laws.

[sasteam 0]

Guess it's not a hoax...

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/video/7332367-80-year-old-falls-out-of-parachute-harness-after-jump

Crazy Ivan and the Crew (2005-2006)
Team Insane (2004-2005)
Insane in the Airplane (2003-2004)

[Andy9o8 0]

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honestly who the hell posted it on youtube

Do you STILL truly not get how bad a message that kind of commentary in here conveys? Seriously?

[Bellyflier 0]

they just announced that the DZ is facing more than $900,000 in federal fines.

[BillyVance 34]

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BillyVance - make yourself useful and read her lips and tell us what she's saying.

Something like "NO! NO!! NO!!!"

Then again, the TI if he has a hearing problem, might construe that as "GO! GO!! GO!!!"

I'm glad I don't do tandems.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[markbdaniels 0]

According to Laverne, she was not pushed out - http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/video/7332367-80-year-old-falls-out-of-parachute-harness-after-jump/

[Southern_Man 0]

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honestly who the hell posted it on youtube

Do you STILL truly not get how bad a message that kind of commentary in here conveys? Seriously?

Anyhow, it appears that Laverne's sister posted it on Youtube.

"What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

[theonlyski 3]

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Scary shit. Anyone else notice that you catch another clip at the end of what looks like people lining up to exit, the guys drogue is about half way out?

I didn't realize the PVC pipe was an option on Sigma drogues?

I only have a hand full of tandems, but before each one, I go thru my handles check, tell the student my handles are all in place, attachment check (shaking each attachment point), tell them they're all attached and snug, then ask them if they're ready to skydive. This is before the door even opens. Haven't had any refusals yet, but have had a couple people try to take the plane with us.

I usually get in their ear and tell them hands on their harness and relax... Fixes almost all of them so far.

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

[ShcShc11 0]

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honestly who the hell posted it on youtube

Do you STILL truly not get how bad a message that kind of commentary in here conveys? Seriously?

when people are already cancelling tandems because of the video, then it was unnecessarily further damaging the sport. ... not to mention Lodi's owner saying "the TI did a good job" in a news interview.

[matthewcline 0]

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honestly who the hell posted it on youtube

Do you STILL truly not get how bad a message that kind of commentary in here conveys? Seriously?

when people are already cancelling tandems because of the video, then it was unnecessarily further damaging the sport. ... not to mention Lodi's owner saying "the TI did a good job" in a news interview.

Seems he is mistaken, but he thinks FAA and Airplane manufacturer directed maintenance is excessive too.

The video should not be covered up or explained away with more falsehoods, sends the wrong message. We should breath easy she is safe on the ground and use this as an example and teaching moment. There are many lessons to learn here. Starting with Work Environment, they got lucky it was not a fatality like Ohio's.

Matt

An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

[jimmytavino 16]

The video should not be covered up or explained away with more falsehoods, sends the wrong message. We should breath easy she is safe on the ground and use this as an example and teaching moment. There are many lessons to learn here. Starting with Work Environment, they got lucky it was not a fatality like Ohio's.

Matt

agree. in fact if this video had been seen shortly after it happened instead of well after...

maybe the person who fell from an "ultra-lite" not long ago, might have been saved...

the lesson Has to be Harnesses Matter In all activities, from paragliding to tandems to rock climbing to ziplining.....proper adjustments and stowage of excess, proper CONNECTION, in EVERY case. Don't people use a 'check list' anymore????

While so many are upset that She seemed reluctant to exit, that isn't certain.. She WAS slow and moving awkwardly, ( but hell you should Expect that...) and maybe the TM shouldn't have pressed the issue....but They went>>>

Sadly, her body position on Exit which is Faaar from an arch... coupled with the loose harness is how she found herself as we see..... Had she settled into ANY sort of Open or flat body position,, instead of going fetal... we would not even have seen the video...
just glad she's ok

jmy

[kawisixer01 0]

Interesting to see the interview of her by the news station. It sorta verifies what I and a few other theorized earlier. That she wasn't backing out due to fear and not wanting to jump, just that the exit position was hurting her and her knees were in pain. I'm sure a little of what she was doing was fear based, but by her own statement she wanted to jump and her knees gave out at the door. Funny how a grown man with a tandem rig trying to cram himself over the top of an 80 year old lady like that could result in her knees giving out.

[ufk22 32]

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honestly who the hell posted it on youtube

Do you STILL truly not get how bad a message that kind of commentary in here conveys? Seriously?

This should be a wake-up call to all of us, not just TIs. We can't look the other way when we know a TI that we wouldn't let someone we know jump with. Be it impairment, attitude, or just plain incompetence, allowing these people to continue endangers not just their passengers but our entire sport.
As a sidelight, it puzzles me that as an I-E, I can issue ratings but have no ability to suspend them. USPA ratings can only be suspended (temporary) by an S&TA (rating by appointment) or board member (position by election) but not by an I-E (earned rating)???

This is the paradox of skydiving. We do something very dangerous, expose ourselves to a totally unnecesary risk, and then spend our time trying to make it safer.

[mikenewbie 0]

her knees were probably in pain because she was hangin in the door pause at 2:18 and her right legstrap is under her knee..... I could almost put my leg in there with all the slack you can see it for a split second slack is above leg b/c her right leg is hanging.

[BlindBrick 0]

Can someone with a little more experience confirm/debunk something for me?

People have been blasting the the videographer for interferring. I've seen this a few times and last night I paid attention to the videographer's actions. By the time he docks, the straps appear to have slid onto the upper calf of the passenger.

To me the videogrpaher appears to have actually grabbed the strap and moved it back up above the knee and into the reach of the TM who grabs it and snugs it up some more. This allows the passenger to beend her knees more which seems to play a major art in keeping her legs in the harness for deployment and canopy flight.

Am I reading that right?

-Blind

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

[jclalor 12]

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Can someone with a little more experience confirm/debunk something for me?

People have been blasting the the videographer for interferring. I've seen this a few times and last night I paid attention to the videographer's actions. By the time he docks, the straps appear to have slid onto the upper calf of the passenger.

To me the videogrpaher appears to have actually grabbed the strap and moved it back up above the knee and into the reach of the TM who grabs it and snugs it up some more. This allows the passenger to beend her knees more which seems to play a major art in keeping her legs in the harness for deployment and canopy flight.

Am I reading that right?

-Blind

I beleive it has to do with him removing her hand from the door of the ac.

[mdrejhon 8]

***I beleive it has to do with him removing her hand from the door of the ac.

[Zenister 0]

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uh oh, first photo that comes up now when you type "skydive" on google, i didn't think this would affect tandem numbers that badly at first, now i'm not so sure

No real damage done to the sport. I've seen a number of posts saying this has motivated them to book their tandem. People are funny and will figure that falling out of their harness is less of a risk. I mean an old lady managed to hang on so how hard can it be? (I'm giving a whuffo viewpoint, not mine)

I'll bet that in the mainstream media an elderly woman comes off as a fool, and the TI comes off as a hero. After all, he did save her life!

casual survey of the comments on the various sites I've followed this video on support your bet. A few commentors with some skydiving knowledge (and a few who are clearly skydivers) try to educate them as to what really went wrong here, but you are dead on balls... the interpretation seems to be "she should have known better than to be skydiving at her age...." "poor instructor having to deal with that woman" etc...

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[raff 4]

NOT everybody who "thinks" they wanna skydive... SHOULD skydive..imho


jt

[DSE 3]

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when people are already cancelling tandems because of the video, then it was unnecessarily further damaging the sport. ... not to mention Lodi's owner saying "the TI did a good job" in a news interview.

Is there any documented case of someone canceling a tandem because of this video?

Two separate groups showed up today specifically _because_ of the video; they wanted to see what it really looked like. Both ended up booking, one jumped. The other would have jumped had it not been for weather.

It's demonstrable; skydiving interest increases after any incident reported in the news.

It may not be the kind of 'marketing' that is good for the sport, but it does spark awareness that often turns to more business.

[VideoFly 0]

As a videographer, I have had occasions to document problems in skydives. At times I halted a jump after spotting a concern; typically a bad spot. Other times, I have blocked the door and notified the instructor of a problem, usually a student’s goggles off or upside down. However, once in freefall, although I have come in close to a student to film and let an instructor know what is happening, I never touched a student. While filling the spot of an instructor who lost his hold of an AFF student or trying to unwrap a drogue bridle has been tempting, I have always kept my hands off.

While I had a coach rating, I was not an AFF or tandem instructor. Therefore, I have been told by instructors that I was not allowed to touch a student in the air (unless I was coaching).

I’ve also been told that if I touched a student and a serious incident occurred, even after trying to help, I could become part of the problem; part of the chain of blame; and/or part of a law suit if one followed.

On one occasion, though tempted to try to remove a wrapped drogue bridle from a student and instructor, I stayed back, pointed to the problem, and filmed. The bridle was untangled by the instructor and after landing he thanked me for not coming in because he was about to deploy his reserve and did not need me in the mess.

I will stick with the plan that my job is to document and not intervene or interfere.

[stratostar 5]

http://www.kvor.com/rssItem.asp?feedid=118&itemid=29854511

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[wetrock 0]

this would have been a much better song for the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Le-3MIBxQTw

CBS Reports
Parachute Center Tainted With Accidents, Safety Issues
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/video/7332365-parachute-center-tainted-with-accidents-safety-issues/

Extended Interview With Woman Who Slipped From Harness While Skydiving
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/video/7332709-extended-interview-with-woman-who-slipped-from-harness-while-skydiving/

80-Year-Old Falls Out Of Parachute Harness After Jump
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/video/7332367-80-year-old-falls-out-of-parachute-harness-after-jump/

Public Weighs In On 80-Year-Old Skydiving Woman

they are watching you look out
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/video/7332366-public-weighs-in-on-80-year-old-skydiving-woman/