Friday Freakout: Skydiver Clears Line-Over Malfunction

Zej Moczydlowski
ago

What happened

This skydiver pulled at 4k feet to get comfortable under canopy again -- it was their first jump after a 4 month break from skydiving. Once they deployed, they checked their canopy and thought it was an end cell closure, but quickly realized that it was actually a line-over. They began pumping the risers to clear it and continued to do so until they reached their decision altitude. The jumper claims they were preparing to cut away when they did one last pump of the risers and cleared the line-over.

Why did it happen

Line Overs

It’s difficult to ascertain the cause of the line over. Typically, they are the result of poor body position on deployment or packing errors. They can easily occur during the packing process if a line goes over the nose when rolling the canopy. In this incident the jumper believed that it was the fault of a poor pack-job.

How could it be prevented

Better Packing / Avoiding Complacency

Many jumpers tend to get complacent about packing. It’s important to take your time, go through every step, and not rush. An issue with any of a myriad of factors during a pack job can translate into a malfunction in the air. Something as simple as not changing out a worn stow band or forgetting to cock a pilot chute can result in an issue upon deployment.

Additional Points

Altitude Awareness

This jumper knew that he had deployed early and had some altitude to work with. That being said, at no point – until after he’s cleared the malfunction – does he check his altimeter. In this case it didn’t matter, but in general it’s always a good idea to maintain altitude awareness before starting to fight a malfunction.

Turbulence

At one point the canopy looks as if it’s about to collapse. One individual viewing this video thought that the jumper may have caused this, but the jumper stated that he hit a pocket of turbulence.

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What happened

This skydiver pulled at 4k feet to get comfortable under canopy again -- it was their first jump after a 4 month break from skydiving. Once they deployed, they checked their canopy and thought it was an end cell closure, but quickly realized that it was actually a line-over. They began pumping the risers to clear it and continued to do so until they reached their decision altitude. The jumper claims they were preparing to cut away when they did one last pump of the risers and cleared the line-over.

Why did it happen

Line Overs

It’s difficult to ascertain the cause of the line over. Typically, they are the result of poor body position on deployment or packing errors. They can easily occur during the packing process if a line goes over the nose when rolling the canopy. In this incident the jumper believed that it was the fault of a poor pack-job.

How could it be prevented

Better Packing / Avoiding Complacency

Many jumpers tend to get complacent about packing. It’s important to take your time, go through every step, and not rush. An issue with any of a myriad of factors during a pack job can translate into a malfunction in the air. Something as simple as not changing out a worn stow band or forgetting to cock a pilot chute can result in an issue upon deployment.

Additional Points

Altitude Awareness

This jumper knew that he had deployed early and had some altitude to work with. That being said, at no point – until after he’s cleared the malfunction – does he check his altimeter. In this case it didn’t matter, but in general it’s always a good idea to maintain altitude awareness before starting to fight a malfunction.

Turbulence

At one point the canopy looks as if it’s about to collapse. One individual viewing this video thought that the jumper may have caused this, but the jumper stated that he hit a pocket of turbulence.

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