PC in tow...Yep, I'm still a dumbass

[lippy 918]

Last weekend I was home for a training course with work, but I didn't take my rig. The DZ hooked me up with rental gear for which I was very appreciative, but I had an interesting time the first time I packed it for myself....The rig was an Icon with a Tri-170 set up with a CReW configuration. There're 3 rings in the top-skin that suck the PC/bag in upon deployment, and the bridle is a Dacron line that passes through the hole in the closing pin.

When the PC is pitched, it sucks the Dacron line through the hole in the closing pin until it arrives at a knot, which butts up against the hole in the pin and that's what actually sucks the pin out of the closing loop.

After two jumps on this rig, I decided to save $6 and pack it myself. The pack is basically the same as a rig with a non-collapsible PC, but gets a little different when closing due to the loop/pin configuration. When I finished the pack job, I realized that I'd left the closing pin sitting 'smiley-face up' entering from the left to the right. At that moment I thought that this might pose a problem on deployment...But then I thought that I'm too lazy to fix it, there's a 1/1000 chance that it'd be a problem, and I'm 100% sure that it's me jumping this thing next and I'm not going to drop this on a student, and I left it as-is.

We broke off a 4-way at 4500', I tracked till just under 4 and pitched. I had a PC in tow

I'm still amazed at what went through my mind in those few seconds. I was watching over my shoulder as I pitched and immediately realized exactly what was happening and visualized how I had caused it. In a few milliseconds the following shit went through my brain:
Fuck I packed myself a mal!
Just save your dumb ass and worry about that later
I'm still high I can fix this
If I don't clear this by 2K I'm going reserve
I don't wanna go reserve on this rig, I'll look like a dumbass and probably have to pay for the repack
There's something out behind you, so if you're going to fire reserve make sure to cutaway first
Fuck I don't want to mal on rental gear after I packed it myself!
OK I placed the pin off to the left, so I have to grab the bridle as close to the pin as I can, rotate 180 and give it a yank.
Cool I've got a parachute!

I pitched under 3 and my VISO has me in the saddle at 2300, so I'm happy with how I dealt with the situation. I'd decided very early in my thought process that I was gonna chop and pull silver if I didn't have it straightened out by 2K. I was staring at my VISO on my left hand while using my right hand to try to clear it up.

Lesson learned is that my legs get rubbery after adrenalin, and that any question you have while packing is a question worth asking. If I'd been ambitious enough to think about what I was looking at for 5 more seconds while packing, I could have rotated the pin to 'smiley face down left-right' and then rotated the loop 180* so that the knot in the bridle would've sucked it out....Or if I hadn't been that ambitious I could've been humble enough to ask somebody. Either way, I got a bit of a scare that I coulda/shoulda avoided the moment that I said 'hey, this could pose a problem'.

I guess my point is that borrowed gear can be different from what your used to. It's not as much as a factor as it used to be, back when safety meetings weren't and testicular dimensions were inversely proportional to deployment altitude, but enough that it's worth swallowing your pride if you're using unfamiliar gear and you have a question along the lines of 'Hmmm, I wonder if this could kill me'

Blue Skies

I got nuthin

[JohanW 0]

Two questions.

I know what bridle and pin you're talking about, but I don't see how you got the pilot in tow. Could you try to explain again? Knowing this system firsthand and maybe jumping it again in the future, I would like to understand. Thanks.
You broke off at 4500', tracked till just under 4 and pitched. And then you say you pitched under 3. Which one is it?

Johan.
I am. I think.

[skydiverbry 0]

Scary???You should have been! remember what happens to us guys that deploy a bit on the low side

Sorry lippy just had to throw that in there.Glad you acted right,and got something over your head in time
Bry

--------------------------------------------------
Growing old is mandatory.Growing up is optional!!

D.S.#13(Dudeist Skdiver)

[lippy 918]

I think what happened was that the direction of the pull from the PC caused the round loop of the pin (the part that the bridle runs through) to get sucked into the closing loop. I'm pretty sure that if I'd rotated the pin 180 degrees so that the round loop of the pin was on the right side, this couldn't have happened.


I pitched just under 3K. As I brought my left hand up while reaching for the PC handle with my right hand, I remember seeing the VISO pass through 3K. That was a typo when I said 4K in the original post.

I got nuthin

[airtwardo 7]

Either way, I got a bit of a scare that I coulda/shoulda avoided the moment that I said 'hey, this could pose a problem'.

Egos are a funny thing huh.


A while back I was at a boogie where a manufactures rep was showing the wonderful intricacies of his product to several n00b customers.

What caught my attention was when one guy asked the rep if it matters what order the flaps go on closing the container...the reps answer was no it did not.

I watched him close bottom, top, right, left and had to ask for myself...are you sure that's okay?

He gave an ego fueled spiel about his time in the sport and number of jumps...(both less than 1/2 mine)...all his ratings, how many rigs he's worked on etc.

I asked to handle the rig, pulled a inch of slack on the bridle near the pin, rolled the rig 20-30 degrees to the right much like a n00b might roll a bit reaching for the pilot chute...and pulled the pilot chute...TOTAL.

Oh that could never happen he said, it just did I told him.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[JohnMitchell 16]

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Oh that could never happen he said, it just did I told him.

"Never" is a pretty strong word. I try to use it more carefully.

Good job, Twardo.

[tetra316 0]

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Either way, I got a bit of a scare that I coulda/shoulda avoided the moment that I said 'hey, this could pose a problem'.

Egos are a funny thing huh.


What caught my attention was when one guy asked the rep if it matters what order the flaps go on closing the container...the reps answer was no it did not.

I watched him close bottom, top, right, left and had to ask for myself...are you sure that's okay?




That's actually the correct closing order for Infinitys

[airtwardo 7]

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Either way, I got a bit of a scare that I coulda/shoulda avoided the moment that I said 'hey, this could pose a problem'.

Egos are a funny thing huh.


What caught my attention was when one guy asked the rep if it matters what order the flaps go on closing the container...the reps answer was no it did not.

I watched him close bottom, top, right, left and had to ask for myself...are you sure that's okay?

That's actually the correct closing order for Infinitys

This wasn't, this rig had somewhat longer overlap on the flaps than an infinity does...granted it wouldn't 'total' every time, would be more prone to~ given the circumstance I put it in.

Fortunately nobody ever packs sloppy and pulls unstable.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[regulator 0]

Well at least it was a PC in tow rather than a MAC in tow.

[humbled1 0]

Big (Bottom)
Tittied (Top)
Russian (Right)
Ladies (Left)

Thats how I learned packing, and if I ever forget my icon is numbered beneath the flaps...

I had to re-read your post a few times to be sure, I honestly thought most (if not all) rigs used this order, obviously that is not correct, now I know! Thanks for the info!

"Tell ya the truth, I don't think this is a brains kind of operation."

[JohnDeere 0]

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Big (Bottom)
Tittied (Top)
Rich (Right)
Lady (Left)

Fixed it for you.

Nothing opens like a Deere!

You ignorant fool! Checks are for workers!