Malfunction/Cutaway & Ground Crash Video

On Sunday I had my first malfunction. I believe my packing error occurred while I was stowing my risers, when my d-bag and pilot chute got caught up in my excess lines. I think I accidentally brought one of the lines over the wrong side of the bag while I was untangling the mess and it went unnoticed as I stuffed it in the container.

I was wearing a GoPro during the jump and after seeing the mal (and being a spinning mal) I decided to unclip my chin strap to avoid having a reserve snag on the camera. This was only weeks after reading posts here regarding mals, RSL's, etc. while flying camera. I had remembered reading some say that they would recommend doing this to prevent a snag causing a reserve mal or neck injury. Had I not been in a spinning mal I don't think I would have undone the chin strap. When my reserve opened the helmet flew off my head, I was under at 2,000'. Yeah... I felt like an idiot but it did make for a cool video.

I have learned from my packing error and the whole experience. I know I am not supposed to have the camera till the "recommended" 200, but I did and I can't defend it... other than I was aware of the snag risk it posed.

At the end of the day I had a great reserve ride and all of my gear was recovered completely undamaged including the helmet and camera.

Hope you all enjoy the video and pics... Now bring on the beating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nNMBoQFxGM&fmt=35

Let's see.

Admitted packing error.

Already discussed wearing a camera with less than 200 jumps.

No cutaway on camera helmet.


Can I buy a square on your bounce bingo game?

ps, didn't waste the time of watching the vid. That would only encourage you to keep doing what people have mentioned is not to bright.

Congrats, my first cutaway was from basically the same thing, except I paid $5 for the privilege of having the malfunction packed for me.

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I had remembered reading some say that they would recommend doing this to prevent a snag causing a reserve mal or neck injury. Had I not been in a spinning mal I don't think I would have undone the chin strap.

I remember that thread and I think you misinterpreted some other people's advice to come to that conclusion. More jumpers than ever are wearing cameras but incidents involving camera entanglements are still very rare. You are wasting quite a bit of time and altitude "fixing" something that isn't a problem. If you are concerned enough about entanglements to unbuckle your helmet during a malfunction, you are probably better off simply jumping without an RSL.

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I believe my packing error occurred while I was stowing my risers, when my d-bag and pilot chute got caught up in my excess lines. I think I accidentally brought one of the lines over the wrong side of the bag while I was untangling the mess and it went unnoticed as I stuffed it in the container.

Did it really go unnoticed? Or was it one of those "Something here doesnt look right, but i'm not going to open it and check" type deals

Pretty neat that the camera rotated perfectly to see you in the beginning stages of reserve deployment.

I gotta agree with what the others have said though about the camera. Just take the fucker off for a few more jumps. You would have cut away way faster if it wasnt on your head.

The helmet and camera setup was undamaged, that is freaking amazing!

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Let's see.

Admitted packing error.

Already discussed wearing a camera with less than 200 jumps.

No cutaway on camera helmet.


Can I buy a square on your bounce bingo game?

ps, didn't waste the time of watching the vid. That would only encourage you to keep doing what people have mentioned is not to bright.

Nice. Always nice to run into assholes here. I forgot, jumpers with over 1000 jumps are sky gods, better than everyone else, and always do the right thing. What a fucking dick......

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Let's see.

Admitted packing error.

Already discussed wearing a camera with less than 200 jumps.

No cutaway on camera helmet.


Can I buy a square on your bounce bingo game?

ps, didn't waste the time of watching the vid. That would only encourage you to keep doing what people have mentioned is not to bright.

Nice. Always nice to run into assholes here. I forgot, jumpers with over 1000 jumps are sky gods, better than everyone else, and always do the right thing. What a fucking dick......

There is a difference between being an asshole and telling it how it is. You can't seem to figure it out.

/Monkey is an ass
//doesn't mean he doesn't have valid points
///this is not a sport for hand-holding, kumbaya-singing, candy-coated lessions.
////Feelings heal faster than femurs.

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The helmet and camera setup was undamaged, that is freaking amazing

Lightweight helmet, lightweight camera, and no moving parts. I'll bet we see more and more 'survival' stories like this in the years to come. Did you catch the hang time the helmet got from under 2K? Sure wasn't falling fast at all.

I can't believe that dude took the time to unclip his fucking helmet. He got a great shot of that mal and it was clean as hell and all he had to do was put his head down and pull the handles. Or just learn how to pack, that would work too.

Glad there weren't any kids out there watching the jumpers ....


When the helmet came down....

I've always believed that you catch more flies with honey so I'm not going to flame away on you...I will however give you the following advice:

You really have no idea how far in over your head you are (all the way up to that stupid camera I'd wager) and there is a very good chance that you will die learning the lesson with only enough time in the end to say to your self, "I'm dumb." There is also a fairly decent chance that if you don't dies someone you become friends with will emulate your behavior and you will get to watch them die.

The ground is absolute and completely unforgiving. The sky will always be there. What is so goddamn important about the next couple hundred jumps that you just have to video them?


ps - I am 99% sure you won't listen to a word of this, I posted it for the kid with 20 jumps and an open mind who may be influenced by it.

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I've always believed that you catch more flies with honey so I'm not going to flame away on you...I will however give you the following advice:

You really have no idea how far in over your head you are (all the way up to that stupid camera I'd wager) and there is a very good chance that you will die learning the lesson with only enough time in the end to say to your self, "I'm dumb." There is also a fairly decent chance that if you don't dies someone you become friends with will emulate your behavior and you will get to watch them die.

The ground is absolute and completely unforgiving. The sky will always be there. What is so goddamn important about the next couple hundred jumps that you just have to video them?


ps - I am 99% sure you won't listen to a word of this, I posted it for the kid with 20 jumps and an open mind who may be influenced by it.

I just took my camera OFF of my helmet (not due to this Wads video) I'm not working camera and i can no longer see just reason to wear one.
I have 50 odd hours off footage of mates jumps etc.. i dont need anymore.
So off with the Cameras.

Brandon, I always knew you cared.
Vortexr1, if you do a search on the OP, he has been chastised for wearing a camera way too early. Both he and his buddy wearing gopros with less than 100 jumps. He gets a little tough love saying in the name of safety, follow the the SIM. Read post # 13 & 14 in that thread. Guess that makes me guilty of being a skygod. WooHoo, finally earned skygod status. (Sorry, but that is funny. Anyone that knows me will have a good laugh at that).

But now the OP comes on here to show how through making a mistake on the ground while packing, he earns a reserve ride. But at least he was able to get it on video. It's that lack of attention while in the air that can either kill him or another skydiver in the air with him. If me expressing my "skygod-ish" opinion that by taking it slower, he can gain the experience to be safer and actually have video worth watching offends you, just means someone is listening.

The idea of bounce bingo or filling out an accident/incident report with the date left blank and handing it to the DIGIT in the attempt to make them realize what they are doing can kill them has been happening for a long time. Some times it requires someone being the asshole skygod to get the point across.

I'll be the first to admit that I have and will continue to make mistakes in this sport. But here is where I might be a bit different from the OP. I actually try and learn from those mistakes and don't flagrantly repeat them. When we are new in this sport, there is so much that we don't know that we don't know. Those skygods with +1000 jumps might just have a bit of hard earned knowledge that could help a noob get to 1000 with less pain or lost blood and no titanium.

/steps off the skygod soapbox

Fuck it, anyone want to sing kumbaya?

My 2 cents for what it's worth.
When you encounter a spinning malfunction there are a few main worries...
It appears there was at least one other jumper in your vicinity. A Spinning mal will fling you all over the sky. Get on those handles quick. Nothing like spinning into your pals that didn't track away very far.
A spinning mal can lose altitude at an incredibly deceiving rate. Get on those handles. Nothing like hitting the ground at line stretch because you didn't want to snag your camera.
Get on those handles. Nothing sucks worse than getting into a high speed spin and not being able to get your hands on your handles, or passing out before you cutaway and pull silver.
And a little food for thought for the rest of you. A mal like that at a nice flat DZ like that looked is one thing. I wouldn't want to lose that much altitude at the Ranch or Lost Prairie, DZ's with elevation changes and not many outs for first time reserve riders.
Just say'n...

I was prepared for the replies that you all have left thus far. I was hoping for more discussion on reasons to unclip the chin strap vs not.

Maybe we can talk about how dangerous it really is to jump with a camera. I see 2 main risks with jumping video. 1. Loss of focus on altitude awareness. 2. Snag risk on opening. If you forget about the camera and only think about it at pull time you can eliminate #1 (an audible will help also). As for the snag risk you can minimize this by putting your head down (as Dave says in post #8). Other than putting your head down and pulling stable how many other ways are there to minimize the risks of a snag. How do I learn/know these things?.... by reading posts from you guys.

Just because I have worn a camera a few times does not mean I have a total disregard for safety and recommendations. I would say night jumps pose a much bigger risk than jumping with a camera yet the USPA says that's ok at 50 jumps. So please tell me just how dangerous is jumping with a camera (GoPro). Is maintaining awareness and keeping your head down at pull time that difficult that someone with 200 jumps can do it better than someone with 100. The camera looks where I look, not the other way around.

Only a few of you have given some advice... I will listen to and take legitimate advice from those willing to give it, whether you believe that or not. Lets say for arguments sake I had 201 jumps when this video was shot. Was taking literally 2 seconds to undo the chin strap that bad of an idea. I was fully aware of my altitude and was under at 2K. Please don't just simply reply with "Dude, 2 seconds is all it takes."

In the next post you will see the USPA SIM basic info on camera use. Let's talk about it.

SIM

A. Introduction

1. Skydiving provides a wealth of visual stimulation that can be readily captured through still and video photography.

2. Smaller and lighter cameras have made it easier and less expensive to take cameras on a jump.

3. Jumpers need to exercise caution with respect to camera flying:

a. camera equipment and its interaction with the parachute system

b. activities on the jump

c. breakoff procedures

d. special emergency procedures for camera flyers

4. Once a camera flyer has become completely familiar with the equipment and procedures of the discipline, he or she will be able to experiment and perform creatively.

B. Background

1. In the early days:

a. Early pioneer camera flyers had to solve the obvious problems presented by big, cumbersome camera equipment and parachutes.

b. Only the most experienced jumpers and photographers would brave the activity of filming others.

2. More recently:

a. Miniature digital still and video cameras appear to present less of a challenge, encouraging more jumpers to use cameras on their jumps.

b. Skydivers have become less concerned about the skill of a camera flyer jumping with their group.

Great that you read the SIM that hasn't had an update regarding cameras for a long, long time.
I've specifically asked Jim Crouch and Todd Spillers to comment on small format cameras ie; GoPros, because I have a pretty strong belief that we're gonna see a lowtimer seriously hurt or hurt someone else because of the camera stuck to a helmet.

Had the camera not been stuck to your helmet, you wouldn't have taken the precious seconds necessary to unclip your chin strap.
Those seconds *might* have been the difference between any number of outcomes, one of which might be serious injury to yourself or someone else.

When people do things that go against the recommendations, opportunities get taken away from everyone.

your copy/paste of the recommendations in 6.8 also missed the following;
1. Recommendations for flying cameras should educate potential camera flyers and those making jumps with them.

2. Jumpers should realize that flying a camera is a serious decision and that it requires additional effort and attention on each jump.

Most of the problem with jumping a camera too early isn't the snag point, isn't the concern during EP's. It's about the mindset of flying with the camera, it's about looking for shots and going low, having a problem and flying into someone else, and generally training themselves to fly poorly because the camera changes how they fly. The problem is the additional distraction the camera creates in the plane, exit, and freefall.

Yours is story #6 of "Stupid things a GoPro/Contour have made me do" that I've collected in just a coupla months of looking.

Congrats on saving your life. Congrats on not hurting someone else in the process, congrats on not getting hurt yourself.

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Let's see.
Admitted packing error.
Already discussed wearing a camera with less than 200 jumps.
No cutaway on camera helmet.
Can I buy a square on your bounce bingo game?

you forgot to mention the "jumping video with a connected RSL"

To Ridestrong, thanks for sharing your experience. Please learn from it.

How did your cutaway pillow get in your left hand and the silver reserve handle stay in the velcro?

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How did your cutaway pillow get in your left hand and the silver reserve handle stay in the velcro?

I put both hands on my cutaway to pull, it is how we were taught in AFF. I have a Skyhook and I could feel my reserve opening as I put my hand on the 'D' ring.

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How did your cutaway pillow get in your left hand and the silver reserve handle stay in the velcro?

I put both hands on my cutaway to pull, it is how we were taught in AFF. I have a Skyhook and I could feel my reserve opening as I put my hand on the 'D' ring.

piisfish just finished my next post for me. Took the words right outta my keyboard.

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The idea of bounce bingo or filling out an accident/incident report with the date left blank and handing it to the DIGIT in the attempt to make them realize what they are doing can kill them has been happening for a long time. Some times it requires someone being the asshole skygod to get the point across.

I'll be the first to admit that I have and will continue to make mistakes in this sport. But here is where I might be a bit different from the OP. I actually try and learn from those mistakes and don't flagrantly repeat them.

>>realize what they are doing can kill them

Why do we jump out of airplanes?
Why do we BASE jump?
Why do we swoop?
Why do we do CREW?

>>I actually try and learn from those mistakes and don't flagrantly repeat them

I have 6 maybe 7 max jumps with a GoPro out of a 100. Is there a chance I do 6 or 7 more in the next 100, yeah maybe.

But then...

I have a cigar once in awhile.
I haven't worn a condom with every chick I've slept with.
I sometimes drive over the speed limit.
I've drank expired milk.
I don't always turn off ALL electronics on the airplane when traveling.

Have you ever done any of those things? It's RECOMMENDED that you don't. We understand the risks with doing them but we do them anyway. Does that mean we "flagrantly" repeat them despite someone telling us not to.

You gave me some good advice in that Heli Jump post and I used it to better understand the risks involved in jumping with a camera.

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Nice. Always nice to run into assholes here. I forgot, jumpers with over 1000 jumps are sky gods, better than everyone else, and always do the right thing. What a fucking dick......

Since you have don't have 1000 jumps and post such nice things, I guess you are a really great guy who is always keen to listen and learn

I lost my helmet in freefall few month ago. It landed on a hard surface and the outcome was a bit different :-/

It's a GoPro, what's the big deal with the snag thing, even if that tiny thing ever snagged it most likely would be ripped of the helmet during the cutaway, I don't see a big deal with that.

2k feet under a reserve, it's not bad, specially when he has a skyhook RSL, not a huge problem to cutaway low and survive.

I noticed a lot of you tend to claim that this is bad, that is bad, this can go wrong etc.. But you never actually show us an example. Please show me a fatality or a serious injury caused specifically by a GoPro cam (excluding ALL the rest of cams).

Also there's a jump number OK tendency in DZ.com, meaning if ridestrong had this cutaway at 200+ jumps the replies here most likely would have been a long the lines "nice cutaway; glad you're alive; beer!", if you don't fall into the "OK" jump nr. recommendation zone you're not cool, unlike if you did where most of you wouldn't complain if there was the same stupid shit done..

But I don't know what I don't know, I still like to post for the drama

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It's a GoPro, what's the big deal with the snag thing, even if that tiny thing ever snagged it most likely would be ripped of the helmet during the cutaway, I don't see a big deal with that.

1. go pro mount is excepionally vulnerable to snagging. If you doubt this, do the snag test described in the SIM.

2. "most likely would be ripped off" … so you are GUESSING. Do you have any DATA regarding forces induced by a snagged canopy vs. Failure threshold of the go-pro mount? Depending on where the mount failed, it might continue to pose a snag risk after failure.