An inexperienced skydiver with 100-ish jumps turns into a meat missile on a 4-way jump. After plowing through the group, he turns around and docks on the fourth jumper while completely losing track of the first group (effectively, he created two separate two-ways), then geeks* the camera and won't let go of the other jumper at break-off so he can get a few extra seconds on video. Don’t be that guy.
This video has a lot of basic mistakes and the level of belly flying suggests these folks weren’t ready for a four-way together. They were potato-chipping all over the place, didn’t understand the basic concept of “level-slot-dock,” and the lack of situational awareness was just dangerous.
What it ultimately comes down to is how the jumper in blue was “that guy.” With only around 100 jumps under his belt, he appears to have cared more about geeking* the camera than he did about basic belly flying and safety considerations. As a result, he meat-missiled the two-way, docked with the fourth jumper while completely losing track of the others, and held on to his partner at break-off.
Doing jumps with other folks at the same level as you can be a completely safe way to develop your skills when you’re new, but you should limit the number of jumpers in the group until everyone is capable of safe, reliable and controlled belly flight in every direction.
Simply put, on every jump your focus needs to be on having a safe, responsible, controlled skydive. If you’re not mature enough to be able to do that while someone else has a camera, you shouldn’t be jumping around cameras. And you certainly shouldn’t be wearing a camera yourself — especially if you only have 100 jumps.
For you newer jumpers, “geeking” is a phrase you’ll hear a lot in skydiving. It’s the act of staring at the camera like a geek with a huge smile on your face. It’s not a bad thing! Some amazing videos and pics have been captured because jumpers love to geek the @#$% out of the camera and show the world how much fun they’re having on a jump. But when you’re a newer jumper, your focus should never be on the camera and it should always be on having a safe jump.
The meat-missile only had around 100 jumps, so this jump pretty much illustrates why USPA recommends a 200-jump minimum before jumpers can strap on a camera.
A jumper with 330 jumps – only 6 of which were on this canopy – was doing a demo jump, with a flag, into a very small landing area, that was surrounded by trees on all sides. WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG!?! The jumper tried to fly between two trees, clipped a tree branch, almost hit a member of the ground crew, and miraculously walked away without a scratch. In his words, “the only damage I received was to my own pride.”
This jumper was doing a jump he was not ready for. There are a LOT of considerations which go into demonstration jumps like this one. A jumper with only 330 jumps cannot be expected to understand them all, let alone plan and/or react accordingly.
This jumper had only 6 jumps on that canopy -- ever. He wasn't experienced enough to be flying it under these circumstances. USPA Regulations, for example, require a PRO rated jumper to have 5 jumps within the previous 60 days using the model and size canopy they want to use on a demo into this type of landing area.
Whoever signed off on this skydiver participating in this jump made a poor decision. It’s the responsibility of experienced jumpers to tell newer skydivers that they are simply not ready to attempt certain activities within the sport.
This jumper noted that the group did a site visit the day before the jump but he “did not look at it thoroughly enough to remember that that tree was there.” This was almost certainly another factor that led to this incident.
This jump occurred overseas – we don’t know where, so don’t ask – but USPA rules are an example of the types of restrictions that should be placed on such jumps. Under USPA regulations, this would have likely qualified as a stadium landing area, “A Level 2 landing area smaller than 150 yards in length by 80 yards in width and bounded on two or more sides by bleachers, walls, or buildings in excess of 50 feet high.” To jump into a stadium landing area, a USPA jumper needs to have a PRO Rating; a certification used to identify highly proficient jumpers who are accurate in canopy control.
When the jumper submitted this video, they noted that they were flying in brakes to get into position and when they let up on their toggles to resume full flight, the canopy dove much steeper than they expected. This portion of a flight cycle is discussed in nearly every canopy course. The jumper’s surprise at the canopy’s dive when he let up on the toggles suggests he needed more canopy instruction and a better understanding of canopy dynamics.
Okay… we’ll admit that karate kicking the @#$% out of that branch was kind of cool… but landing safely in front of a crowd of non-jumpers is a lot cooler.
While climbing to altitude, this three-way belly group changed the exit plan. Shockingly – yes, that was sarcasm – there was a bunch of confusion in the door. When Jumper 1 started to climb out, Jumper 2 didn’t realize he was going to the camera step. He exited, reached out for the first jumper, and snagged the D-handle as he tumbled out. Somehow the pin was not dislodged, and the jumper safely deployed at normal altitude, and landed his main.
The first jumper thought he was getting onto the camera step. The second jumper thought he was chasing him out the door. So, when Jumper 1 got out, Jumper 2 followed and – in a confused panic – reached for the first jumper not knowing what was going on.
Before the group even exited, the second jumper already came very close to grabbing Jumper 1’s D-handle while still in the plane. He thought that the first jumper was exiting too soon and grabbed him to hold him in the plane and check the spot. He didn’t realize how close his hand was to that handle.
When you decide on a dive flow or an exit, don’t start changing plans while you're in the plane. Given that Jumper 1 was relatively new (60 jumps), the more experienced jumpers should have just stuck with the plan they had agreed with on the ground. Had they just gone with the original plan, all the chaos in the door would have probably been avoided.
There’s really no excuse for – not once, but twice – almost snagging someone’s reserve handle on climb-out or exit. It doesn’t matter if you’re exiting linked, chasing, or whatever – never blindly grab at someone’s rig.
This could have been a REALLY bad day because, had that reserve deployed while Jumper 1 was trying to get onto the camera step, it could have taken out the plane's tail/horizontal stabilizer and brought down the plane.
The reserve cable got pulled out quite a bit on exit but didn’t pull the pin on the reserve. One rigger reviewing this video noted that, while it was somewhat fortunate that a deployment didn’t occur due to the previously mentioned risk (above) to the plane, there are also some questions about why that reserve didn’t get deployed.
While not visible in the video, the jumpers stated that everyone on the jump knew that something was wrong. Jumper 2 claims he was attempting to explain to Jumper 1 that something had happened and Jumper 3 didn’t know what was going on but got the impression that they needed to abandon their dive flow and just bring it down. While this whole situation was somewhat sketchy, it would have been a lot worse had someone flown over Jumper 1 right before a reserve fire happened. Attempting to stay on level but at a distance was the right call.
On a 5-way jump, this skydiver did a barrel roll after break-off to clear his airspace and had an unstable deployment that opened into spinning line twists. He was also unstable when he cutaway, and when his RSL deployed his reserve, the reserve bridle wrapped around his GoPro Fusion (360 camera). Fortunately the plastic buckle on the camera snapped off, allowing his freebag to extract. He was under reserve by 1,800 ft and landed safely.
The jumper stated he did not finish the barrel roll before deploying his main. He believes the deployment bag came out slightly sideways, created line twists, and asymmetrical risers sent the canopy into a diving spin.
Cameras are a snag hazard. Any equipment added to a skydiver’s gear or body that can potentially catch a line, canopy fabric, a bridle, etc., adds risk.
This jumper made a safe and appropriate decision in doing a barrel roll to ensure another skydiver wasn’t immediately above them prior to pitching. However, a barrel roll is inherently an unstable maneuver and – so long as it does not force them to deploy at an unsafe altitude – a jumper should recover from an unstable body position prior to deploying their main.
Obviously the only way to eliminate camera-related snag hazards is to jump without a camera. But we know that’s not going to happen... so we'll refer to the USPA SIM (section 6-8, section D) which contains a long list of the ways that jumpers can (and should!) minimize the potential for snags while flying with cameras. This includes facing snag hazards away from deploying parachutes, pyramid shaped mounts, and taping gaps between helmets and equipment.
A lot of jumpers use a GoPro and assume that in a snag situation the adhesive on the mount will peel away. This thought process leads many to, incorrectly, believe the GoPro is not really a snag hazard. This instance is an excellent example of why they are wrong because in this situation the plastic actually snapped before the adhesive let go.
This jumper noted that maybe he should have considered disconnecting his RSL prior to cutting away. There are two sides to the debate on this issue.
-- In favor of disconnecting: As noted in the USPA section on camera flying, an RSL “could deploy the reserve during instability following a cutaway, increasing the chances for the reserve entangling with the camera system, especially a poorly designed one.” However, that section is aimed at full time camera-flyers who do it professionally so it's arguable whether it really applies to fun-jumpers who are simply tossing a GoPro on once in awhile.
-- Against disconnecting: Disconnecting an RSL is not something that many jumpers practice and – especially during a chaotic malfunction – taking the time to locate, grab, and disconnect an RSL could place a jumper at a dangerously low altitude. The time spent fumbling around would almost certainly go against the guidance provided in the USPA's recent "Don't Delay, Cut Away" campaign.
One of the greatest things about skydiving is that it’s an awesome community. We all want to take care of each another and no one wants to see their buddy lose a main or a free-bag. That being said… DON’T try to catch them while under canopy! It’s potentially a very dangerous decision that could end badly. It’s hard to tell if that’s what the second jumper was doing, or whether they just happened to fly towards the main while watching the jumper with the delayed reserve deployment, but we thought it’s worth mentioning.
This attempt at a two-way flock escalated quickly! While in close proximity, the plan was to fly over one another without taking any CRW docks, but the second jumper’s leg caught one of his friend’s brake lines resulting in a spinning wrap that ended only when the line snapped at the attachment point -- not to mention a sketchy cutaway through clouds and the reserve opening in line twists.
The POV jumper was using borrowed gear, admits that they did not go over their plan with someone more experienced, did not prepare adequately, and stated that they were mixing a standard canopy with a high performance canopy for this two-way flock.
Flocking is a lot of fun but there’s a reason why some of the most experienced canopy pilots in the world go through a ton of walk-throughs on the ground before getting on the plane. The jumpers in this video admitted that they “should have known better… should have prepared better… (and) should have executed better.” They also noted that “If you are going to be flying close to each other, or touch canopies, please talk with someone with experience.”
Most CRW dogs are going to say that a hook knife is a critical piece of equipment, but that should apply to all skydivers. In this case, the jumper was borrowing a rig and didn’t have one with them and is unaware if the other jumper had one. Simply put, a hook knife should be a critical part of your gear check. Period.
Despite not having enough experience (by his own admission), this jumper was attempting to fly a cross-braced canopy at a high wing-loading. He noted that he was “expecting a toggle fire or major line twist on every jump.” On this particular jump he opened into diving line twists, but instead of cutting away early, he tried fighting it for far too long and ended up cutting away very low.
A lot of skydivers downsize too fast and purchase canopies they are unprepared for. High performance canopies are sensitive and inexperienced jumpers can easily induce malfunctions during deployment. The fact that this jumper was expecting a major issue on every opening is an indicator that he was not ready to be flying that wing. Inexperience may have also played a role in this jumper forgetting to maintain altitude awareness, which resulted in chopping dangerously low.
Unfortunately, some inexperienced jumpers think they can safely downsize just by watching videos of professional canopy pilots. However, there are a lot of great canopy coaches and schools out there and they are dedicated to helping jumpers make responsible decisions when it comes to downsizing. A lot of the best canopy pilots in the world continue to get coaching even after they're getting on the podium at competitions; it it's good enough for them, it's probably good enough for the rest of us.
Skydivers need to have the courage to tell their fellow jumpers when they are making questionable decisions regarding safety. If this jumper was constantly having malfunctions, someone should have spoken up. Furthermore, the same can be said about selling this jumper a canopy they weren’t ready for. The argument has often been made that if someone wants to make poor decisions it is on them, but given that the whole community gets a bad name when someone has an incident, we owe it to one another to prevent it from happening.
On skydive number 30, this new jumper had his first attempt at back-flying and sit-flying while still using student gear (yes, we all know what happened next). His container – which was, predictably, not freefly-friendly – had a premature deployment. The deployment bag went straight into the jumper’s hands and he actually managed to catch it. Initially he thought he was "holding onto his harness," but once he realized what had happened, he let the deployment bag go and – somehow – had a clean opening that he was able to land safely.
There is a reason that some gear is called “freefly friendly” and some gear is not. When gear is not freefly-friendly it is typically because, if taken into orientations other than belly, it runs the risk of prematurely opening. Generally, a lot of student and rental rigs are not freefly-friendly and many dropzones have rules against students freeflying for this exact reason.
We don’t actually know if this student communicated their intent to a coach, instructor or more experienced jumper. We are assuming they didn’t because most jumpers who have been around for a minute would have told this jumper that attempting to sitfly/backfly on a student rig that wasn’t freefly-friendly was not okay.
Not all training programs are created equal and some AFF instructors never really tell their students about how to progress into other disciplines. This oversight can lead to newer jumpers potentially not understanding the different ways that certain orientations interact with the air. Again, we don’t know if that happened here but it’s something to keep in mind.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This was meant to be a 2-way coach jump with an additional jumper flying around them, with the option of the third jumper coming in for a dock if he felt comfortable. Jumper #3 approached the coaching pair way too fast, then had a premature opening as he passed under the other jumper! In that split second, the other jumper managed to snag jumper #3's bridle and it appears that the deployment bag flipped through a line group on deployment, causing a malfunction that had to be chopped.
The jumpers noted that the rig which had the premature opening was a bit older and was “apparently was not in proper condition for freefly.” They didn’t specify the issue, but – given that the pilot chute appears to be properly stowed and there was no impact during the jump which could have shaken something loose – it seems fair to agree with their assessment that this incident occurred due to improper gear selection for this type of jump. The jumpers noted that, after this incident, the BOC was replaced.
If your gear isn’t up to the task for freeflying, then you’re just asking for a world of hurt. Before leaving the world of belly flying, check with your rigger to ensure that your gear can go into other orientations (e.g. freefly-friendly), which can help prevent an incident like this.
This was supposed to have been a coached jump but they invited a third jumper along to fly around them and have some fun. There is nothing necessarily wrong with that, but coaches and organizers should consider whether the added fun of inviting an extra jumper is going to distract a student from focusing on the task at hand. And, given that this jumper came in way too fast and could have easily hit the student, it suggests that maybe he wasn’t skilled enough to have been invited in the first place.
This touches upon the previous note, the third jumper looks to have closed the distance between himself and the coaching pair at a very high rate of speed and looks to have just barely avoided a collision with one of the other jumpers. Simply put, don’t do that. Regardless of your orientation, the concept of level-slot-dock still applies.
