Well as a few of you guys know, I had the biggest scare of my short skydiving career the other day. I have been debating whether I should post the story as I am still not sure what I did wrong or if I could have avoided the end result as it happened. Well here is my story. I was out the other day all excited to do a couple of jumps. I had just gotten off a 37hour shift (I know mistake #1, but we slept all night except one quick prisoner chase), so I was ready to have at it. I hadn't jumped in about 5 weeks due to my NASTY head cold/bacterial infection of my lungs. (sort of a mistake but not really, maybe too long not jumping, not sure on this one). well I got to the DZ and they were flying a porter and I manifested right away, as I still have about 80 jumps of a block purchase there. the winds were kinda screwy but not too bad. about 16-20 or so on the ground. I asked about the winds up top and got a 60 at10k and 40 at 6kor8k not really sure bout that. any way. I felt comfortable jumping but still kinda had the voice saying in the back of my mind "is this really good for you". but you know how men are and our gotta go attitude. So I get my nice spanking new, with only 12 jumps, javelin on and get on board. I was jumping with another guy and we were gonna try some head down...I said what the heck. we got to jump run and when it came to our turn I gave a quick check but not LONG enough of a check I would find out soon. I saw we were right over the DZ. the problem was I forgot that the uppers were cranking. (dumb ass mistake # 2 or 3) well...we get out and I get about 10 to 15 seconds of head down....( that was AWESOME) then I kinda lost grips and went flipping out...the guy I was jumping with was really good and made big time distance between me and him to avoid and high speed booboos.... My Brand spanking new Time-out(the new kind) was screaming in my ear....I look down to check the spot....oh shit...we are down wind...fuck fuck fuck fuck....I still track like hell...pull a little higher than normal.....I am in the saddle at about 3000...I think well maybe I can make it back....yeah right...I realize that is just not gonna happen...well to give ya some back ground I have about 65 jumps and have never ever landed out....so I am thinking shit I am gonna land out and the winds keep dancing around...and blowing my fat ass around...great...I final am around a grand and decide that the median strip on this busy ass 4 lane high way is about as good as it gets as it is forest one way, powere lines and houses every where else and some industrial stuff too....I didnt wanna do a Pyke...so I went for the strip...what the hell my pre second out landing was gonna be on a strip of grass about 15 feet across with semis and shit flying past...ahh ya only live one..so I had to crab it over as it was a crosswind thing happening...no my luck won't make it an easy one of course...I just couldnt have it so the wind will come at me straight on...nope not me...I always gotta get screwed. well then the shit really gets fun!!! or not... there are some trees to the north/north west of the highway which runs basicly east/west...well the wind is cranking out of the north/northwest...and making weird changes too...well at about 100-150 feet my chute(hornet 210, loaded at 1.19) decides it wants to get caught up in the chorus of the trees and take a day off...well yo guessed it...at about 100-150 trees I suddenly feel like I am dropping big time, my audible is screaming, I am seeing trucks flying past me, and I look up to see a ball of shit...I grab my rear risers pump pump pump...then about 25-30 feet my canopy pops open so loud it sounded like a crack....out of some bad batman show from the 60's....I regained my oh shit composure and landed the bastard..didnt try to stand it up just PLF'd the hell out of it. funny thing is when I saw my chute do this all I could think of was "work the problem, work the problem,work the problem" but I am alive...that is the important thing.....now on to the other thing.... 1. I know I should really have not jumped that day due to the winds...but I figured it was border line and what the hell gave it a shot.....well that wont happen again. 2. I was tired from work...this is another thing that probably impared my judgement in some form or another...whether it was my crap judgment of the winds and the spot or whether I should have checked the spot and pulled sooner than I did.... 3.I should learn to spot better....I am learning everytime and always check the spot.(which is more than you can say for some people) now whether myspot is good is a whole other thing... 4.always plan an out...even if you have never planned an out..I have never had an out here so I really only kind of glanced at the over head pic. 5. beware of NASTY rotors off of trees in close proximity of your little hankercheif of nylon over your melon...scared the SHIT outa me... Now I know some of ya are gonna bitch at me about this and that...I understand what I did wrong...or if I missed something add it on...but my problem is not with the above..I am already processing that... Right now I am spooked so bad by the collapsing canopy that I dont want to jump....I am almost afraid to jump...but I know that is just my mind playing with me. I also know I gotta get back up there...but I am volunteering for time at work to avoid a day off to jump..that is screwed up....well any ideas on how to get rid of this fear inside of me??? sorry for the ramble just have been pondering this for too long..and needed to vent...thanks for the help... Marc Because I fly, I envy no man on earth
