1st Malfunction at WFFC

[Dutchboy 0]

On jump #132 I had my first malfunction. I was doing a sitfly jump from 23,000 feet. I did at least 10 backflips on the way down.
I never use packers, but did this time because it was just too hot to pack. I had noticed that several inches of my PC were sticking out so I just shoved it back in. That was a mistake, I should have pulled it out and repacked it. If I had done so, I would have seen that it wasn't properly packed.
After two minutes of freefall the PC had worked itself back out about 3". When I went to pull I couldn't find the handle. I went to the edge of my rig and started to feel around for it, but didn't find it (I only figured this out from observing the rig later). So at 1800ft I went for the reserve.
I lost my handle, but did manage to get my freebag. The WFFC safety guy found my freebag (thanks Larry!!).
The Dutchboy
http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

[Iflyme 0]

Did the packer buy YOU a bottle???

[Dutchboy 0]

Nope, she pretty much just shrugged it off. This is only the 2nd pack job I've ever paid for. The last one I paid for because I had to get out quickly. After I repacked the PC her pack job still gave me a 180 on openning.
So being lazy cost me $50 for a repack, $40 for a handle, and $6 for the pack or $96. If you add in the $48 for the jump ticket then you're talking student jump money!
Oh well, it is a lesson learned for me. Maybe someone else can learn from this too without having to shell out the $$.
The Dutchboy
http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

[parduhn 0]

You still paid for the crap job, I mean pack job?

[mountainman 0]

that is really lame.....that woman owes you BIG. I have an idea of how she can pay you back.Come on....let me say it......pleeeze......
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[SpeedRacer 1]

Well, I don't know, sometimes shit happens.
Recently my rigger repacked my reserve. He always repacks the main as well. He's supposedly a good & very experienced rigger. But when I opened up I had one f^&*k of a line twist! I mean, it was so bad that after I was pulled vertical I CONTINUED to twist up! It took me a long time to kick out of it & I was glancing at my altimeter & almost considered cutting away. Fortunately my rectangular PD170 stays as steady as a rock even with a lot of line twists. Damn good canopy for a newbie like me (60 jumps).
I can't understand how this happened. It was like being attached to some kind of wind-up toy.

Speed Racer
"Come up to my lab,
And see what's on the slab!"

[RemiAndKaren 0]

Guys,
although some opening problems CAN be attributed to poor packing, it doesnt mean that all of them are....
The PC briddle thing.. yea.. perhaps its due to poor packing (probably is, but not being there, I'm not sure).
The hard openings and line twists, not so sure... a poor body position will account for lots of those (hard to tell from 5,000 miles away what it was in these cases, but carefull before putting blame on someone).
And Speedy: if once the canopy is opened, you're the one that is still spinning, is it remotely prossible that the twists were put in, not by the canopy, but by your body?
Remi

[skreamer 1]

Quote

I was doing a sitfly jump from 23,000 feet

Hate you...

Quote

After two minutes of freefall

Really hate you...
Just kidding. My opinion is that no packer will have packed your size and type of main into your type of container as often as you. So, even though packers are quicker (and in my case, are they ever!), you would probably do a better job yourself (with more attention to detail). But you already knew that, and I'm guessing that that was your second and last paid for pack job!
/s
PS everybody who said you should expect something from the packer is wrong. You pay $5 you take your chances - I don't know any packer who gives a zero malfunctions guarantee. If you don't like the pack job, either use another packer or DIY. (BTW you've only used a packer twice Dutch, so that hardly applies to you)

[ramon 0]

I had some little poor englsh speaking miscreant pack old faithful for me at Chicago.
What is funny, before I jumped it I told everyone not to use the little bastard, my bridle was exposed, twisted and my risers were poorly tucked.
0. jump with Mike Swanson, world Cham.
1. pull 3500
2. snivel open 2700 look up line twists 7 " long and getting longer
3. 2500 spinning bad and getting worse, dytter flat lining..
4. chop.
5. main and free bag lost in corn field with crops 8 ' high.
30 people knew exactly where it went, but .....you know how that goes after looking for it for 5 hours and making fly overs in the cessna.
Cest la vie.

[deadbird 0]

Tell it like it was. I have never seen a packer pack a total malfuction and you saw the pilot chute handle sticking out before you got on the King Air. I was there.

[Dutchboy 0]

Yes, I did see it hanging out and shoved it back in as I said. It was my mistake not to repack the PC. When I pulled it out later I did see that it was not packed in the recommended way which is why it worked itself back out three inches during my dive.
As for me, I don't think I'll be running to use packers again. Especially not at a boogie. Don't forget about the bridle routing right up against the velcro for maximum wear on both mine and Faye's rigs. You could say that my 180 on openning was due to bad body position, but given the fact that I don't often have these I'd say probably not.
So the moral to the story is to check your stuff, and be especially careful to check everything if someone else was involved.
The Dutchboy
http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

[chopchop 0]

I did it. 2 malfunctions in 2 days both packed by me. The first one I packed in the storm and got a tension knot. Found everything. the second one I packed in a hurry, had a violently spinning malfunction that sounds very much like ramon's. Over the corn, everyone saw it, no one could find it. Thank God it was Saturday afternoon and I didn't miss out on much jumping. I lost everything. Now I pack slower and much more carefully.