Inverted Canopy Hookup - what did i do wrong

[pds 0]

I made a jump sunday and it was the first time i was handed a canopy seperate from the container. I attached the risers before pulling the lines from the daisychain and spreading the canopy. I then extedended the lines and proceeded to propack the canopy. I felt good about the pack job, but there was something sitting in the back of my head saying check again. so i did, and it looked fine.

opening was soft but i was in what seemed to be a gentle turn after full deployment, with the pilot chute streaming in front of me.

Got brakes off and found myself under a perfectly good canopy that was flying in reverse. Yelled at my camera man that i was going to cut, did so then went for my reserve handle. I have been flying student rigs that are too small for me, so the ring has been high on my belly so it took what seemed like too long to move my hands down. but all ended well.

The question is what did i miss on hookup. did i have the risers twisted on themselves? or did i simply put the risers on the wrong shoulders because i didnt have the nose up during hookup.

I would like to learn something from this human malfunction.

namaste, motherfucker.

[nacmacfeegle 0]

Before the fork is warmed in the fire, I would post this over to gear and rigging, its not really a mal, more of a rigging error.
Riggers, knowledgable people, and anyone with an opinion will be able to answer you freely over there, without cluttering up this forum.

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He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

[iam 0]

Am I correct in saying this is your second cutaway? And with so few jumps (36ish)? Maybe you should consider a more forgiving sport....or take more care....

If i'm wrong I stand to be corrected.

"Don't ever knock on deaths door, just ring the bell and run away - it really pisses him off"

[ernokaikkonen 0]

Sounds like an incident to me... Although not a very serious one.

PDS: Get a rigger to show you how to do a line-continuity check. It's really quite easy once you know how to do it. Always do this check after your canopy has been detached from your harness-container.

I'm just wondering if I'm feeding a troll here...

[pds 0]

How would I move a thread? I don't know how to do this.

What would really be valuable to me is to know WHAT exactly i did wrong. was it either of the two possibilities I mentioned in the original post?

This would be my 3rd cutaway in 36 jumps.

number 1 was due to a shredded canopy.

number 2 was due to violent line twist that i was unable to stop. when i cutaway i am told that i was ejected sideways, not falling down.

number 3 was entirely my fault.

namaste, motherfucker.

[pds 0]

Quote

I'm just wondering if I'm feeding a troll here...

err... not troll, just newbie with enthusiasm.

namaste, motherfucker.

[ernokaikkonen 0]

>What would really be valuable to me is to know WHAT
>exactly i did wrong. was it either of the two possibilities
>I mentioned in the original post?

The easiest way of hooking up a canopy backwards is indeed connecting the left riser on the right-side D-ring and vice-versa.

Like I said, learning the line continuity check will save you from this happening again, and from a bunch of other things that can go wrong while hooking up a canopy. I'll say it again: Do not pack a canopy (that you just hooked up) before checking it's connected correctly!

Erno

[pds 0]

Noted. Filed. Tattooed.

namaste, motherfucker.

[bobsoutar 0]

[What would really be valuable to me is to know WHAT exactly i did wrong.]

You attached the risers before undoing the daisychain (a definate no no) and then didn't know how to do the appropriate line checks.

As in all skydiviing matters - if you're not 100% sure, ask for help!

[nacmacfeegle 0]

Okay, PDS I wasn't getting at you....I would just rather not see the little padlock all over the place..
What you did was to hook the risers onto the opposite rings, which is a fairly easy mistake to make. You will also have put a 180 twist into your line groups, so check for any nasty wear on your lines.
After hooking up any canopy you should always conduct a line continuity check, as Erno advised. Its also known as a 4-line check (a throwback from round packing days, I believe).
Its relatively easy, but difficult to describe, so get any rigger to show you how this is achieved to be sure.
Go to the nose of the canopy, pick up the A line from the left hand outer cell, follow it thru the cascade to the link, it should be on the left front riser, left (outside) side, repeat for the D line, it should be on the left rear riser, left (outside) side.
Repeat the above process for the right hand side, the right hand A line should be on the right hand front riser, right (outside) . etc, etc, etc.
If you are hooking up a brand new canopy, you will have to ensure each line is in its correct respective position on the link.

Finally check teh brakes go their 'correct' places, and eth lines are not twsted or wrapped around anything they shouldn't be.

The whole process is made a load more easy if you get someone to help with holding the risers/rig etc. This will help you identify whether the risers have twisted, or 'gone through themselves, or any other wierd shit that can happen between stuffing a canopy into a bag and you hooking it up..

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He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

[Sonic 0]

Also, it's easier if you can hook the canopy up on the things they use to inspect reserves, so the canopy is in a flying configuration when you check it. that way there should be no doubt.

-----------------------------------
It's like something out of that twilighty show about that zone

[diverdriver 5]

Sky,

Others have posted about how to hook a canopy up correctly. But when you ask what did you do wrong I see the answer as being different.

You did NOT get the help of a more experienced jumper (preferably a Rigger) to teach you how to do it correctly or to check the work that you had done. THAT is the mistake you made. The canopy on backwards was just the end result.

Now, take these words as a chance to grow. And this goes to ALL jumpers who have less than 200 jumps OR less than 2 years in the sport, you know enough now to be dangerous. Not that you can't be dangerous after this period. But there certainly is a steep learning curve in this formative time in your skydiving career.

Let me say that again, you know enough now to be dangerous.

Just seeing something done once or twice without getting specific instruction on how to do something is dangerous. Watching some cool free fly move on video, watching people hook n swoop (TM), seeing someone transfer canopies or hook up canopies to risers does NOT mean you know how to do it. Please, for you own safety, get people to check your work BEFORE jumping something that you've changed. And don't get your 100 jump buddy to check it. I'm talking about someone that is really experienced.

You (not you specificly Sky) have just enough knowledge now to be dangerous.

I want all new jumpers to think more about their safety before attempting new things in their WHOLE skydiving careers.

Chris Schindler

[Samurai136 0]

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The question is what did i miss on hookup. did i have the risers twisted on themselves? or did i simply put the risers on the wrong shoulders because i didnt have the nose up during hookup.

You hooked the risers up to the wrong shoulders.

I find it disturbing that you were allowed to connect the 3-rings unsupervised, and that you were able to "pro-pack" the canopy and not consciously recognize your error. Please talk to a rigger and ask for training in packing and rigging to recognize common errors. If you have questions, even while you are packing, ask someone. If it looks wrong or you think you might have made an error, start over.

Ken

"Buttons aren't toys." - Trillian
Ken

[pds 0]

Quote

I find it disturbing that you were allowed to connect the 3-rings unsupervised, and that you were able to "pro-pack" the canopy and not consciously recognize your error.
Ken

If an A license holder rents a canopy and container, it would disturb you if they were not supervised?

I guess i expected some unconstructive criticism, but geeze guys...

As for the advice given, it is taken. The circumstances leading to this jump contributed to my lessened awareness and unwillingness to seek help with something. My parents were on the ground watching this happen. I felt stupid, then i felt guilty.

There have been too many tragedies lately and i do not intend to add to them.

Thanks for the advice. I conclude that indeed i did reverse the risere before spreading everything. The next hookup and pack will be with a rigger watching.

namaste, motherfucker.

[diverdriver 5]

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If an A license holder rents a canopy and container, it would disturb you if they were not supervised?

Yes, it would. Getting an A license means you can pack a main. It does not mean you know how to rig. And hooking up a canopy can involve rigging.

I think you've learned a lot from this experience. You see how this incident did not start on the day of the incident. Your mindset was shaped by the events of the previous week (as I am surmizing from your comments). This is the human factors that I'm talking about in my posts.

I'm glad that you will seek help from a rigger the next time. But I suggest that you not wait until you have to do it. Find some time without distraction and get a lesson from someone knowledgable. In fact, I will be at Skydive Arizona December 6th -16th. I'd certainly like to meet you. (I saw this as your home DZ in your profile.) I am also sure that there are others at SDA that can help you do this too.

Remember the bigger picture here. When doing something you've not done before get instruction. Canopy flight, rigging, freeflying, swooping, floating, diver driving are all things we are born NOT knowing. We must be taught.

Chris Schindler

[Samurai136 0]

That was meant as constructive critcism.

Your profile says you have 36 jumps and an A license. You also said this was your first time connecting 3-rings to the container. It's ok, mistakes happen. You only get experience by learning from mistakes. Preferrable other people's mistakes. Most incidents are a series otherwise minor errors in judgement that together equal injury and/or fatalities.

I'm just concerned that if your instruction failed to teach you how to properly connect 3-rings, what else could go wrong?

Be safe, Blue skiesKen

"Buttons aren't toys." - Trillian
Ken

[wmw999 2,129]

What he meant by the "not recognizing" I think was not meant to be anything but constructive.

When you packed the canopy with the risers on backwards, the whole packjob should have come out funny because of this -- it would have been backwards, with the nose facing up and the tail facing down. That should feel funny.

To feel comfortable hooking gear up, you should automatically recognize that. It's not a sign of carelessness, stupidity, or anything else that more experience won't cure.

Take it from someone who connected her main up backwards for a cross-country. I landed it (different canopy type), but I sure got razzed. And I had a whole lot more jumps.

When you're distracted it's easiest to have this kind of thing happen. That's why they suggest that when you're doing something new, you limit what you're doing on the jump (e.g. no big-way when you're jumping a new rig).

This has been a pretty awful week for you.

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)

[freeflyz 0]

How many pack jobs have you done????

[tigra 0]

Yeah, what he said.......

I also find it "disturbing" that someone would hand you a rig and a main and expect you to hook it up by yourself at your level. In this sport, being too intimidated to ask for help can get you killed. And the fact is, most of us are nice enough people who are totally willing to help out whenever and wherever we can. If that is not the case at your dz, it might be time to find a new one. But give people a chance, suck it up and ask for help! Please!

maura

[PhreeZone 15]

>If an A license holder rents a canopy and container, it would disturb you if they were not supervised?

Yes it would, rigging is a very serious activity that can easly be fatal if one thing is wrong. I've seen non-riggers hook their RSL up to their 3 rings since they don't want it attached, but have no idea where it should go when unattached. In this config it would probally be deadly since the canopy would not cleanly release. I've seen jumpers hook up their canopies to risers at home then when they put it on the rack with a rigger there are lots of issues wrong with it.

Its not just newbies that need supervision with gear... its any non current rigger that should be assisted. Having a rigger assit will pass knowledge on to you and will help you if you ever want to become a rigger your self.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[AggieDave 6]

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its any non current rigger that should be assisted

I caught a non-current rigger a couple months ago packing his main with his Slinks hooked up wrong, they were only wrapped through the lines/risers once, making one big circle. This was after he had jumped, so it had worked, BUT it wasn't right and it may not have continued to work. He has since had the head rigger at my DZ work with him to get current again.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[Hooknswoop 19]

A rigger not being botherred to read the instructions. That is bad, I think.

Hook

[riggerrob 558]

Even licensed riggers need re-fresher training or training on new equipment.
Rigging is like flying - we all need a little refresher training from time to time.
That is why I am going to the 2003 PIA Symposium. I don't want to become the biggest fish in a small pond.

[Hooknswoop 19]

Slinks don't require re-fresher training. They come w/ very easy to read and understand instructions.

I went to the 2001 PIA, great stuff. The rigging classes were great. I'm not going this year but would love to hear all about the rigging classes and any new gear that is released.

Hook

[AggieDave 6]

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Slinks don't require re-fresher training. They come w/ very easy to read and understand instructions

Yes, this rigger had bought them 2nd hand (not used) and didn't have instructions. This incident made him think that he may need some refresher training to make sure he was still good to go with his rigging skill. All in all, he learned quite a bit and is much better off for it. The Slinks incident was just the thing to convence himself he needed the work.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."