Scary Opening

[Jen1129 0]

Hi... I am a 60-jump wonder who had a scary opening and near-cutaway on Saturday. I have gone over it many times in my mind but I am wondering if there is anything else I can learn from it.

The canopy was a Sabre2 190 loaded at about 0.8 or 0.9. I have only jumped this canopy about 10 times, so I am still getting used to it.

I pulled between 3500 and 4000, counted to 4 and looked up and saw... well, a ball of crap that didn't appear to be doing anything except fluttering around. I have had soft openings before but this was different... it did not feel like it was opening or slowing me down at all. I grabbed for my cutaway handle and right then it opened, but very violently with some kind of spinning dive, and end cells closed. Grabbed my toggles and yanked hard, and the end cells opened and it settled down to normal flight. I had a good canopy by 2500 ft.

In telling the story I had a couple people tell me I did the right thing (going for my cutaway handle) but a couple people also told me something like "duh, it was a soft opening, you should like those, don't freak out." My question is, with my limited experience, how should I have known that? I looked up and saw something that was NOT going to land me safely, did not appear to be turning into a good canopy anytime soon, and went to my cutaway handle. If it happens again, how long do I wait... decision altitude?

If nothing else, I did learn that I can find my cutaway handle quickly if necessary. I'm glad to know that at least!

[TimDave 0]

I think that you reacted appropriately. When I teach students deployment procedures it is somethiing like this. Pull, one thousand, ..., five thousand, check. If at that time you do not see something that looks like it is looking familiar and turning into a landable canopy, start your emergency procedures. 5 seconds is plenty of time to wait before you should see something familiar and good. You did the right thing. I would rather have somebody thinking like you than afraid to go to the reserve. Good job in recognizing the situation and not panicking.

[bluewaterstream 0]

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"I grabbed for my cutaway handle..."

"If nothing else, I did learn that I can find my cutaway handle quickly if necessary."

Good deal and it sounds like you responded efficiently and appropriately. I had a similar experience a few months ago. Anyway, I posted my experience here and received this good advice from darkwing: "I caution you (and others) that if you had your hand on the cutaway handle, please inspect the cables through the 3-ring immediately (under canopy) to make sure you didn't partially pull them. And make sure the handle is fixed to the velcro.
-- JW"

[hookitt 1]

When you counted to 4, were you still belly to earth?

I'm going to guess here but it sounds possible, that you tossed the pilot chute, and it didn't extract the parachute from the container until you looked up. When you looked up, the parachute deployed and you saw the entire opening.

So, it sounds like it went this way.. please correct me if read that wrong.

Toss the pilot chute, nothing happens as you count to 4. Look up and the parachute was above your head doing what ever it was it was doing...

Does that sound accurate?

If it is, then the pilot chute was possibly in your burble, there fore you weren't slowing down. Looking up disturbed the air therefore allowing the pilot chute to do it's job and that's when you saw the parachute.

The rest of the opening could have been any thing so I'll leave that alone, but does that sound pretty accurate?


By the way, you did the right thing. When nothing happens it's best to do what you did and go for the handles.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[Jen1129 0]

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... this good advice from darkwing: "I caution you (and others) that if you had your hand on the cutaway handle, please inspect the cables through the 3-ring immediately (under canopy) to make sure you didn't partially pull them. And make sure the handle is fixed to the velcro.

Thanks... that is a great point and something I didn't do. I will keep that in mind if it happens again.

I am happy that my hand just knew where to go... I don't remember any thought process such as "okay, hand, time to reach and grab the cutaway handle"... I just remember the feel of the handle in my hand.

[Jen1129 0]

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When you counted to 4, were you still belly to earth?

I'm going to guess here but it sounds possible, that you tossed the pilot chute, and it didn't extract the parachute from the container until you looked up. When you looked up, the parachute deployed and you saw the entire opening.

It's possible, since it happened so fast, but I don't think so. I remember it felt like the beginnings of a normal opening but then it just sort of stayed there above my head in a "ball of crap."

Also, the alarm going off in my head of "something is not normal" didn't happen until around 4 seconds... I think it would have happened sooner if nothing had come out.

I am entirely aware that my perception of what happened and what actually happened could have been different. Would have been nice to have it on video, but I'm obviously not jumping with a camera yet since I only have 60 jumps...

[skyyhi 0]

Jen, you were pretty shaken after that jump. . .

Glad to know that everything came out okay. Everyone was talking about your "accuracy" in hitting the peas on the "Hit N Chug" which came later. . .good job. . .glad you were able to shake off the earlier incident. . .

________________________________________
Take risks not to escape life… but to prevent life from escaping. ~ A bumper sticker at the DZ
FGF #6
Darcy

[Jen1129 0]

Thanks Darcy! BTW, good job on your standup landings!

Yep, I'm a wuss, it was hard to make myself go back up, but I'm glad I did... had a couple of good jumps and pulled a little higher on both of them.

The hit-n-chug was fun! I had a little help with the accuracy, thanks to Mark directing me from the ground. He could get a second job as one of those guys who directs airplanes to the gate...

[Shark 0]

Well, Ms. Accuracy! Was that yer first time landing in the Experienced landing area? And also the first time in the peas? Good job!!!! (I felt like a WW2 LSO on the deck of the USS Hornet.)

Jen, I do not think you saw the 50 people surrounding the peas. You were getting there no matter what! (Talk about target fixation.)

[Jen1129 0]

LOL, I saw the people! They were everywhere! The distractions may have been why my flare was... well... a little low, and I did that cool baseball slide across the peas.

Oh, and you keep trying to get me to say the "f" word... but yeah, I suppose I do owe beer...

[ZoneRat 0]

Hey, if it's a ball of crap, it's a ball of crap.
Cut it.

For those that want to question your judgement- feel free to use the other "f" word.

As in: " You werent there. I was. F-U. It was a ball of crap. I cut it. Have a nice day."

“There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”

[dterrick 0]

Heya Jen
Nice "self-save". I've jumped a Sabre 2 a handful of times as well as similar elipticals. When you mentioned "going for your handles and then it opened" I IMMEDIATELY thought of body position. It as as much because of the timing as of the 'handles part.

Are you trained as a "2 hand" or "1 on each handle" cutaway? I'm gonna make a longshot bet here and suggest that:

1: when you (likely, and subconsciously) dearched while going for the handles, you effectively made the change in harness position that got the canopy to 'catch wind'

2. You are a '2 hand' student. Iff I'm right (and if so it will be on both counts) you twisted your torso to the right during the (near) cutaway. The left side inflated and you spun to the right... correct? (what I imagine happening is that your left knee came up as you twisted for the cutaway - the effect is that you made a "RH turn" harness input).

I think that Sabre2's can be nearly as sensitive to body position as Stilettos, especially when new. The canopy I jumped had a couple dozen on it and it was very fussy at sub-terminal.

Please let me know if I am anywhere close on my theory - it would help me as much as you if the pieces fit together. And, for anyone more senoir than my whopping 170 jumps (seasonal DZ, daily dz.com addict ), please share your thoughts with all of us.

DAve

Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

[Jen1129 0]

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1: when you (likely, and subconsciously) dearched while going for the handles, you effectively made the change in harness position that got the canopy to 'catch wind'

That is entirely possible... I wish I could play it back in slow motion because it all happened so fast!

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2. You are a '2 hand' student. Iff I'm right (and if so it will be on both counts) you twisted your torso to the right during the (near) cutaway. The left side inflated and you spun to the right... correct?

Yes, I originally learned the 2-hand method and that is what I did automatically. My vague memory is that the spin was to the left, but my sense of direction is really bad and it could have been the other way.

Thanks... I never even thought about body position being a factor!

[dterrick 0]

Glad all went well and as it should have. Now I'll shae even more of my own experience - my BEER cutaway was on jump #20.

P/C in tow. It was my "check-'000" that disloged the p/c from the burble. By then I was still smokin at terminal, below my student 'decision altitude' so I went for both handles (we're taught 1 on 1 in Canada for cutaways). If I recall, It was during my move to the handles that the main (a Cruiselite 220 - big 7 cell, sorta reserve-ish) finally finished it';s little dance and inflated. ...except that I was already pulling handles and the cutaway occured at just that moment!! Again with the body position - I bet I had a similar problem to you but simply finished the procedure.

Dave

PS: rounds open hard, are eerily quiet with no slider to flap, and disturbingly difficult to ...um.... fly?

Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

[skylord 1]

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He could get a second job as one of those guys who directs airplanes to the gate...

Jen,

Um, no. I'm an air traffic controller, and I've seen him on the radio with students.

Great to meet you, you did a great job. You looked like Maury Wills sliding into second base. I thought you did great! I didn't hear about the scary opening, but I'm glad you went up again.

Look forward to seeing you and the rest out at the DZ!

Bob

Bob Marks

"-when you leave the airplane its all wrong til it goes right, its a whole different mindset, this is why you have system redundancy." Mattaman

[Jen1129 0]

Thanks Bob! Good to meet you too. Yeah, I got a lot of comments about that landing! Didn't mean to impose on your domain as an air traffic controller... but Mark did do a great job directing me to the center of the peas!

[Shark 0]

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but Mark did do a great job directing me to the center of the peas!

...and I did it without drinking any booze, too.

[Shark 0]

Target fixation

[cvfd1399 0]

I am new but that looks like one hell of a slider that thing is huge?

[TheBachelor 5]

I was on that jump with you, and I was one of the people that said you did the right thing. I also said this, which I say to everyone reading this: Even if you did cut it away, I'd say you did the right thing, and nobody should tell you different.

With your limited experience with that canopy (and jumping in general), you didn't know if it would ever open, and if you're not sure if it's going to open, you should be grabbing for the handles while you still have time.

If you have an opening like that again, you should have more confidence that it'll open. Still, you need to have altitude awareness, and be ready for emergency procedures if you approach your hard deck without a good parachute.

I'm glad you got up again the same day.

Terry

There are battered women? I've been eating 'em plain all of these years...

[Jen1129 0]

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Target fixation

Oh no... I didn't know there was evidence!!!!!

[Jen1129 0]

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I was on that jump with you, and I was one of the people that said you did the right thing.

Thanks Terry, and thanks for helping me get back up in the air. That 3-way and pulling high was exactly what I needed to get my confidence back.

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If you have an opening like that again, you should have more confidence that it'll open.

I'm sure you're right, and I think the confidence will come with time and more jumps. I learned a lot from that experience!

[Zoter 0]

Hi ...Im a bit of a 60 jump wonder too !! had a nasty opening a month or so back where the damn rental canopy snivelled forever.....and just fluttered around 'partially' opening ( from the center)
It was a similar feeling/thought process to which you have described....

Dont hear many people saying it in this thread...but was advised...keep and eye on the alti and no matter what you 'think' it may do...if it aint good by the hard deck ...its gotta go...( I went through my hard deck as it was starting to open normally..and was quite rightly told off and corrected !)

It seemed like I had an age though.....'should I cut or what ??'

Hard deck is a hard deck is a hard deck

[Jen1129 0]

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keep and eye on the alti and no matter what you 'think' it may do...if it aint good by the hard deck ...its gotta go...

Thanks... that is a good point and exactly why my hand went to the cutaway handle. I knew I was not being slowed down much, so I was losing altitude fast. I did, however, have a good canopy by 2500 ft which is my hard deck.

[helldog 0]

If it aint flying by the hard deck chop it! (Damn i forgot... don't take my word for it I'm still a low timer as well)
I can still remember my first sniveling canopy (32 jump). I was used to the student gear opening imediately. The second jump on my new gear, a friend helped me pack it. He rolled the nose to the center...nice and tight. It was a good 600 ft. sniveler. I had never actually watched the canopy open before(never had the time) till then. But I too was ready to chop. It just looked like a great big beach ball up there...., then it gently inflated and began flying. (what a relief that was).
Blue ones
Jim