Macaulay 0 #1 October 2, 2002 Two canopies out. I watched the whole thing. The main came out and almost simultaneously the reserve fired... launching the reserve PC and freebag into the main. About 1 - 1.5 seconds later, the jumper is under just his reserve. The main floats away and lands about 100 feet up in a tree, and he has a safe landing in an optionless area (about 1,000 sq ft) surrounded by forest, lake, chainlink fence (topped with barbed wire), and powerlines half a block over. My first assumption was that it was Cypres fire, but it looked high. Then I came to find out that the Cypres never fired. Only the main was pitched. The reserve ripcord was never pulled. The Cypres never fired. How did he get two canopies out? The kink the RSL leaves in the cable was there, but there was no RSL to be found, and the jumper swore repeatedtly that he had no RSL. Even then, the RSL is activated by a cutaway, which did not happen until two canopies were already out. How weird is that? My answer to the riddle would just be that he was jumping a Reflex. Actually, the last theory was that he did have an RSL, but it wasn't hooked up, or attached properly, but that it was just tucked away, still on the reserve cable, and the jumper (not certain about experience or how long he had the rig) just wasn't aware of it. The RSL may have floated out, snagged a riser on opening, and moved outwards the 2 - 3 inches necessary to pull the reserve pin out of place. Weird. Really damn weird. - Mac Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Satan666 0 #2 October 2, 2002 Maybe the resrve pin was not seated properly and the opening of the main was the lat straw for it and caused it to come out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TALONSKY 0 #4 October 2, 2002 I am not sure of what happened to make his reserve activate. However, prior to that jump another jumper noticed that the top flap of the reserve portion of the container had not been included when the reserve was closed up. The jumper was geared up to jump when it was noticed. He took the rig off and took it back to the rigger that had repacked it to have it fixed. It was the next jump( after having it fixed) that the reserve got deployed. I am not an expert by any means but I would question if it was rigger induced. I find it totally unacceptable that this rigger left out one of the four flaps when closing that reserve, with that kind of error one would wonder what else he might have done wrong. All I know is from now on I am requesting my reserve to be packed by any of the riggers except that one. Kirk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,114 #5 October 2, 2002 I once saw a similar problem caused by a too-short reserve ripcord. On opening shock, the harness stretched a bit but the ripcord did not, and pin cleared the reserve loop. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkyMissy 0 #6 October 4, 2002 Quote the top flap of the reserve portion of the container had not been included when the reserve was closed up. Yowzaaaa!________________________________________________ Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
