🚀 go-pugleaf

This is a *real* case, not idle speculation!

This weekend, out of the corner of my eye, I watched what I figured to be a
good 5-10 second freefall.  It looked strange, though.  Something was wrong.
I finally was told that that 'funny white thing' on the jumper was his pilot
chute -- JM assisted.  The student had backflipped off the step on a
JM-assisted 2nd jump.  It wrapped around his leg, and refused to pull out
the main.  After 5-10 seconds of shaking, it finally came free.

Would he have started emergency procedured?  Luckily, it is a question that
doesn't need an answer.  But probability theory has a way of eating away at
luck.  Also, this is not the kind of experience that promotes return visits
by students.

We hear about students-in-tow, but how many have there really been.  I would
bet that the number of trapped pilot chutes is larger than the number of
trapped static lines.  I've never heard of a bad static line jump (except
the one which wasn't attached).  I've heard of two bad JM-assisted pilot
chute jumps.  From my little view of the world, I'd say that this was a
trend.  The article in Parachutist sure seems to believe this also.

What do you think?

Michael S. Balenger   ihnp4!link!msb   (201) 949-8789   {Cornet 233-8789}


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Michael S. Balenger   ihnp4!link!msb   (201) 949-8789   {Cornet 233-8789}