Container lock vs. pilot chute in tow

[Jessica 0]

What's the difference?

Skydiving is for cool people only

[billvon 3,107]

A container lock means anything that keeps the container closed. This could be a jammed ripcord on a ripcord rig, a PC in tow that keeps the container closed, or a misrouted pullout bridle.

A PC in tow means a PC has been deployed and has extended the bridle but is not extracting the bag. If you had a bridle entanglement inside the container (with, say, the closing loop anchor grommet) you could conceivably see a pullout system with an open container and a PC in tow malfunction.

[Kris 0]

Quote

What's the difference?

Another possibility on the container lock would be a pin with a nick or sharp groove in it. The nick gets hung on the closing loop and the outcome is evident. It's pretty rare but I've heard of it happening before.

Kris

Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and
Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

[councilman24 37]

And for a really old example. Early military based rigs had metal cones with holes through them just below the point. Gommets or gromment like tabs would from the other flaps would be stacked over these cones and the ripcord pins passed through the holes. When the RC was pulled the flaps, aided by the spring pilot chute and by the pack opening bands, would slide up and off the cones to open the container. Stress could be on the flaps such that even with the RC pulled the gromments didn't come off the cones. Know as cone lock. Solution ... pull and then punch your chest reserve. For your back reserve with cones, use your last hope rope. A line sewn to one flap and fun over your should to somewhere you could grab it.

Aren't you glad you didn't start in the 70's?

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[riggerrob 643]

To expand on councilman's post, the most likely cause of a container lock with metal cones, was worn cones.
After a few years of bumping around, the grommets or end tabs could wear grooves in the metal cones, trapping the end tabs.