When to Stop Flying with a Camera

[StefB 0]

Hi Camflyers

i want to tell you something that happened to me a few weeks ago in my 1254th jump. But english is not my native language and i hope you can read my post...

It was a hot sunday afternoon and got a tandem video job. I put on my camera suit with large wings and my full face helmet with VX1000 on top mount and a KB still picture camera upside down on a extension of the top mount plate. And i put on my rectangular ZP Quadra 170 sqft. in an Vector-1 like harness/container and i have an exit weight of 95kg.

I filmed the tandem jump until at 1700m the tandem master opened his canopy. I tried to do make some still pictures of their opening then i flipped on the belly, waited and opened my own canopy at 1200m (timeout signal 1 @ 4000ft).

It didn't feel like a normal opening - it was slower, but nothing critical. When i looked up i saw the main canopy started to spin and the main lines from the risers up to the base were twisted. The risers were about 20cm uneven due to the line twist and therefore the canopy started to go into a fast flat spin with canopy leading edge horizontal with the horizon and with me on my back. I tried to get my head out of the twists and to rotate on my belly but that didn't work well.

At 800m i got a wakeup call by timeouts signal 2 @ 2500ft and i decided to cut away. I performed the cutaway with one hand on each handle. I did a very short delay of 1-2s between cutaway and reserve activation and i was still on my back.

The reserve a 5-cell Swift with approx. 170 sqft. came out of the harness fast. Soon after this i feeled a very hard pull on the head pressing my jaws on the helmets edges. The reserve got entangled with the helmet. By pulling the helmet's emergency release handle i got my head free and the helmet went away.

I looked up to the reserve and i saw that the freebag got catched from the reserve lines in the upper third of the line section, causing several line knots and a handfull twists too. The helmet was dangling on approx. 1.5m freebag bridle and was going around the reserve lines.

Later i saw that the bridle of the freebag catched the optics of the VX1000 and ripped the optics off (and this was the dead of the camcorder). Additionally the bridle went through the slit between still camera and wrapped itself one time around the holder of the newton ring sight. Later the camcorder and the still camera were torn off from the top mount plate and they fell away.

The rest of the canopy ride i tried to untwist and untangle the reserve lines as much as possible, pulling on single lines, on risers and pushing the helmet in opposite direction around the lines. Due to the line knots and the twists i could never open the brakes and steer. I drifted with the soft breeze and when i looked down i saw that a dense forest 1 km away from the dropzone was my landing area.

Eventually the twists and the knots were reduced so far that approx. 4/5th of the reserve canopy was open. Then the impact in the leaf trees was a few seconds away.

I tucked my legs in order to protect my stomach. Then i had contact with the 8-10m trees and a few moments later i hit something the ground on my back.

I had some pain in my right ankle and on my rips. I heard the dropzones Cessna C206 turning circles above the trees and sometimes i saw the plane between the trees, but i had nothing to show them that i am alive. Later i heard the tandem pair after our pair watched my "landing" and informed the dropzone. I slided on my ass with right leg up to a forest way and shouted for help. On this way i found the remains from the cameras.

Approx. half a hour later the first of three searching teams found me. They phoned the dropzone and organized a car. Another team found the harness and the helmet. The reserve canopy fabrics was torn when i went though the trees. Later they found the main canopy too without damage.

They got my back to the dropzone, i removed the suit, got a wash and some water to drink. Then one drove my to the next hospital. The x-ray pictures showed that the inner ankle bone was broken. Fortunately i didn't had lunch and a surgery two hours later was possible.

Now i am sitting here since a few weeks with three screws in my leg and rethinking this jump. I know that i fucked up several times and i had very much luck.

The jump teachers on our dropzone started to give extra cutaway training to everyone. Maybe i will jump again perhaps with a camera too, but i will used the training and design my video equipment better.

I hope you have so much luck when you need it.
Stefan

[diablopilot 2]

Glad you're still with us, sound like you worked the problem the whole time.

I am a firm beliver in the saying "Keep pulling handles(do something), untill your goggles fill up with blood.

To help others learn from this, wht do you think you could have done differently to prevent this or change the outcome?

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[Deuce 1]

That's an ugly story, but I agree with jp, way to "nogiveup" ("not give up", it's an expression in a martial art I know).

I had a chop with my sidemount on, but nothing caught the camera. This is from the video.

[StefB 0]

  Quote

To help others learn from this, what do you think you could have done differently to prevent this or change the outcome?

This is a question i asked myself a lot of times. Look at my list so far and feel free to comment these...

Situation and altitude awareness

The decision for the cutaway at 800m after main canopy activation at 1200m was too low for the situation 'spinning mal'. The severe line twists should have been enough to see what was coming.

And i got my wakeup call from the Timeout not from my own sight on my wrist altimeter. This wrong behavior must be cured.

When i jump with camera i get many altitude clues from other sources. There are several passive ones - time feeling/horizon or video angle/sight of the ground, action of the videographed subject (breakoff, drogue release), Timeouts beep signals and one active one - watching the altimeter. I used the passive ones more and more in 'normal' jumps and then i didn't use the active one in the emergency situation.

Check/train emergency procedures often

Looking up too long into a malfunction with a camera helmet is not a good idea. With severe line twists you can fix the helmet or camera in the risers. And you present additional snagpoints for the risers in case of the cutaway. I think it is better to look on the handles with chin to chest.

Cutway from a spinning mal is difficult but 800m altitude (or more see above) gives more time than 1-2 seconds for stabilization. I should have tried this longer. There is time when i have altitude awareness (see above) and confidence in my capabilities.

Perhaps I can build up more confidence to stabilize myself fast even with camera suit, helmet... One maneuver for this training might be a two-way with a helicopter rotation.

Then i was really happy that i was used to release the helmet with the emergency release handle often in the landing field for fast hit 'n run shoots of off-target tandem landings.

And regular harness training is a proper training tool too.

Prevent malfunctions of the main canopy

My canopy had these occasional 1-3 line twists. These were of the type "look what our camera guy got again", you know. But i think i got used to handle line twists too and handled the mal too long (see above).

Last year got a first spinning mal with cutaway. During the last year i thought the problem was solved with more free lines after the last stow and very short tube stows (higher line extraction force).

What was the source of this new spinning mal - i don't know, but i should solve the problem before i jump with a camera again. I will start with a long discussion with my parachute manufacturer.

Better helmet design

I really like the precision of videos/photos with newton sight, but the holder was one of my snagpoints. I didn't expect before that the holder can withstand the forces, but unfortunately it can. Perhaps i can train to get good pictures without newton sight - many freeflyers can do this.

Another snagpoint was the optic part of the VX1000 which protrudes with wide angle lens approx. 10cm? from the camera body. Some sort of camera box with smooth surface and without slid between box and mounting plate will avoid entanglement with lines or bridle.

Perhaps you have some more hints for me - believe my, i am open for everything

Stefan

[garywainwright 0]

Just looked at your pic. Please stow your excees brake line! Thats a potential snag right there.

http://www.garywainwright.co.uk

Instagram gary_wainwright_uk

[jimmytavino 16]

  Quote

At 800m i got a wakeup call by timeouts signal 2 @ 2500ft and i decided to cut away. I performed the cutaway with one hand on each handle. I did a very short delay of 1-2s between cutaway and reserve activation and I was still on my back.

A good thing about tandems,, is the "above normal opening altitude".... and if the spot is long....A camera person can find themselves opening at 4 grand or above,,,,
You spun at opening,, and even so,,,still
did your cutaway at 800 meters,,, (2500 feet)......
so THAT was good....... but you erred,,,, as you indicate,, " I did a very short delay of 1 - 2 seconds....then activated the reserve 'still on my back'..." Gee.... at 2 grand.... ( 700 meters) I believe you can invest the 2 or 3 seconds,,, to properly position yourself,,,, Face to earth,,,,, and then pull the reserve handle......
Instead,, you ( perhaps unintentionally ) effectively "simulated" an RSL,,,, by immediately pouring out your reserve...
something which should have occured only once you had reestablished yourself in the 'relative wind'...( I do not use an RSL for that reason and I bet you have the same feelings on that subject....)
( perhaps this attitude is somewhat "disrespectful" of the usual, "pull the padded handle, pull the silver handle " training,,, which is the usual and 'proper' approach for novices, intermediate, and semi- current jumpers,,),,,, BUT when we ADD CAMERAS,,,,things change!!!!
Perhaps we need to accept some
"variation" or " fine-tuning" to our "personal emergency procedures",, factoring in the "entanglement devices" which we wear on our heads...
....... When a canopy leaves our back,,,,,it goes UP..!!!... if your helmet, or your legs, or your arms, or anything,,,, is/are positioned UP ... relative to the deploying freebag,,, it can cause conflict.... ( as you have recently experienced)...
Start your emergency procedures high enough to
allow yourself the "leeway" to properly position yourself , prior to the reserve opening..... belly to earth,,, maybe even a bit head low,,,,... then your reserve risers will split correctly, and at line stretch your cameras are cleanly between them..
Perhaps the tree landing
helped to limit your injuries... I once landed a French Papillon (round ) in a tree at the end of a thunderstorm jump,,, where we (4 of us) backed up at 35 knots or so,,,,, and I was grateful for the "cushiony " landing which help reduce the intensity...Pull high...stay focused,,,,quick recovery...
As for when to stop...... It's your choice....but when the satisfaction level does not exceed the time money and effort you must invest,,, or if your confidence level is not good,,,, then just go skydiving for a while... and don't worry about the video...........your poor cameras,,,