SCARY! (my PC loose in the plane)!

[AggieDave 6]

(cross posted)

Yep, like the title said, my PC came out of the BOC while I was climbing out of the door in our 182 today. Before I explain that, let me give you the background.

I was jumping one of the DZ rigs yesterday, practicing for a demo flying a banner into a raceway today, so I had this *huge* rig on (Navigator 300 in a student Vector II), which is pretty wide. I was sitting with my back to the control panel (aka Student postion...) 5k, time to go. I turn, it takes some shifting around since I have a banner folded up and tucked under my chest strap with a weight in it that I'm also holding. During the moving, the plastic hackey for the PC catches on the flap handle (the handle that looks like an emergancy break infront of the fuel selector, next to the pilot) and stays there. I'm climbing out of the plane, half way on the step when I feel someone pull on my rig. Todd, the DZO/S&TA has grabbed my rig. I turn to look at him and notice him diving (as well as you can in a full 182) for my PC. He gets it and unlodges it from the flap handle. I'm already out of the plane, so it's not a very good idea for me to try to get back into the plane AND he just happens to be an IAD instructor. So after I yell "Holy Fuck" he nods at me, I climb out and do an IAD jump. Just like back when I was on Static Line. Had a nice opening, deployed the banner, flew around and landed dead center of the target for the practice.

So, thanks to Todd's quick thinking (as well as the other two jumpers on the load that saw it and were yelling at me/Todd, since they couldn't get to it), everything turned out very well and everyone on the DZ had a nice Saftey Day-esq lesson on loose pilot chutes emergancies.

Why did this happen?
I was not used to that rig, as large as it was and the thought had never crossed my mind. Since I was preoccupied with a banner in my chest strap, I wasn't as anal as I normally am about my handles and I hadn't sat up on my knees to check eveything before I climbed out.

Lesson Learned.
Never jump a large canopy/rig (just kidding)...Seriously, no matter what is going on around you, mind your handles. Also, know what is around in in the aircraft that could potentally snag something. Furthermore, know your aircraft emergancies. If I hadn't been outside of the plane when this happened, we would have contained the PC, closed the door and landed with the plane.
And most importantly: Watch out for your fellow jumpers!

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[SkydiveMonkey 0]

Wow. At least the pc didn't go out the door. Glad you made it through ok and had a good jump

____________________
Say no to subliminal messages

[billvon 3,095]

>At least the pc didn't go out the door.

Well, it did - but fortunately it went out the door at the right time.

[fasterfaller 0]

Glad you came through it ok .