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Wingsuit deployment problems
As we can see in the incidents forum, wingsuit deployments can go terribly wrong...

About two weeks ago, i had a close call in my V2.

After a long flight, more then a minute, i initiated my deployment quite high.
I think one of my fingers got stuck in the plastic tube handle of my leg mounted 38-pilotchute. I'm not sure about this, everything happened very fast.
So maybe it was just a lazy pull after a long tiring flight.

I realized immediately something is terribly wrong, looked to my right and the pilotchute was snagged somwhere below my rig and flapping.
Maybe on the piece of bridle going from the suit to the rig? I don't know.
But it was there, stuck, not just dancing in the burble behind my back.

So my first thought was, shit, this was it.....

I rolled to the side, reached back again and grabbed "something" and threw again in an attempt to get the canopy out.
It seams i opened the container by hand.... Whitnesses from the ground saw no pilotchute at all. They say the canopy fell a moment besides me with the same speed.

Of course it opened with severeal inetwists.
By the time i kicked the linewists out, the ground was almost there, and luckily no obstacles.
I flared with the risers and did a standup landing, wings and brakes still set.
The pilotchute fell in front of my eyes like a rock from the sky.

We found a knot around the side, the last time i saw a similar picture this was a fatality. It had no drag at all...

What to learn?

-i taped the holes on my plastic tube handle...

-pull higher. two seconds less freefall, a chance to fix a problem.

-never give up.


Pirate
similar picture
pilotchute knot.jpg
pilotchute landing.jpg
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Re: [BASE_1007] Wingsuit deployment problems
Thanks for posting this, glad you made it out okay!

Based on the 2nd pic you must have been wearing video.. is anything visibly out of the ordinary in the footage?
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Re: [BASE_1007] Wingsuit deployment problems
Is that bridle made of one inch tape or something narrower?

NickD Smile
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Re: [NickDG] Wingsuit deployment problems
Ghetto wrote:
Based on the 2nd pic you must have been wearing video.. is anything visibly out of the ordinary in the footage?

There is not much to see on the video.

NickD wrote:
Is that bridle made of one inch tape or something narrower?
Its a standard bridle, the rig is a razor. One inch tape sounds right.
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Re: [BASE_1007] Wingsuit deployment problems
glad you pulled high, glad your ok.

its personal preference for the most part, but i am partial after using both for a while to the internal floating pvc handle. not really for the stuck thumb reason, but for the 0 pvc handle snag possibilities. obviously the pvc did not snag bridal in your case, but its just my thoughts.




also, not just directed to you, or you at all, but everyone.

I try to always 'prime' my pc, and I thought everyone did. in the thread about tj I posted my thoughts on the shrivel flap placement, and handle type/size.
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Re: [BASE_1007] Wingsuit deployment problems
What is your method of packing/stowing your pilot chute?
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Re: [BASE_1007] Wingsuit deployment problems
BASE_1007 wrote:
As we can see in the incidents forum, wingsuit deployments can go terribly wrong...

About two weeks ago, i had a close call in my V2.

After a long flight, more then a minute, i initiated my deployment quite high.
I think one of my fingers got stuck in the plastic tube handle of my leg mounted 38-pilotchute. I'm not sure about this, everything happened very fast.
So maybe it was just a lazy pull after a long tiring flight.

I realized immediately something is terribly wrong, looked to my right and the pilotchute was snagged somwhere below my rig and flapping.
Maybe on the piece of bridle going from the suit to the rig? I don't know.
But it was there, stuck, not just dancing in the burble behind my back.

So my first thought was, shit, this was it.....

I rolled to the side, reached back again and grabbed "something" and threw again in an attempt to get the canopy out.
It seams i opened the container by hand.... Whitnesses from the ground saw no pilotchute at all. They say the canopy fell a moment besides me with the same speed.

Of course it opened with severeal inetwists.
By the time i kicked the linewists out, the ground was almost there, and luckily no obstacles.
I flared with the risers and did a standup landing, wings and brakes still set.
The pilotchute fell in front of my eyes like a rock from the sky.

We found a knot around the side, the last time i saw a similar picture this was a fatality. It had no drag at all...

What to learn?

-i taped the holes on my plastic tube handle...

-pull higher. two seconds less freefall, a chance to fix a problem.

-never give up.


Pirate

Holy sh*t
That sounds naaassssty Crazy
Nice job saving your own life my friend Cool

So...it sounds like a really good job that you did not get hold of the pc handle and throw the PC on the second grab? (and have a knotted pc flapping about in your burble!)
Did you actually pull the container open yourself using the bridle? how long was the bridle you used for wingsuit jumps?

Great job once again!

I will have bad dreams about that one Unsure
similar picture
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Re: [BASE_1007] Wingsuit deployment problems
Excellent job save your life!

Never giveup, never quit!
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Re: [badenhop] [humanflite] [leroydb] Wingsuit deployment problems
badenhop wrote:
What is your method of packing/stowing your pilot chute?

I use the standard mushroom.

humanflite wrote:
Did you actually pull the container open yourself using the bridle?

I'm not sure, i grabbed the mess below my container and throw it away. This is where the bridle runs from the suit to the container, the possible snagpoint.
I think i pulled the bridle because there was no visible pilotchute from the ground.
I doubt this pilotchute had enough drag to peel the shrivelflap and open the container.


humanflite wrote:
how long was the bridle you used for wingsuit jumps?


I don't think bridle lenght matters without a working pilotchute.
But it is the standard bridle from the razor. I believe it is 9ft from the pin to the end.
Can not measure it, we work with meters here....

leroydb wrote:
Excellent job save your life!

I was lucky, that's all...
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Re: [BASE_1007] Wingsuit deployment problems
Hey Moritz,

scary to read your report and see the pictures. But hey - great job you did! Glad you made it and you are still alive.

Another eight lives to go...

All the best and see you in the valley
Bernhard
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Re: [BASE_1175] Wingsuit deployment problems
I think he has already used up more then one live...
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Re: [BASE_1007] Wingsuit deployment problems
Can you describe your pitch technique?

Do you "flick" your wrist? Or do you keep the PC-bridle bundle in order (with the apex of the PC leading, followed by the remainder of the PC, trailed by the bridle) all the way through bridle extension?

In my experience, bridle/PC interactions like this almost always result from a poor pitch technique (allowing the PC to tumble end over end, or letting the bridle bundle lead the PC to full extension).

It's possible that you could prevent future problems like this by simply altering your pitch technique and practicing the throw for a few hours on the ground.
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Re: [BASE_1007] Wingsuit deployment problems
Holy shit Moritz! Glad you are okey, last time I saw something like that was a fatality..
XO wioletta
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Re: [BASE_1007] Wingsuit deployment problems
Hey Moritz,....awesome reaction to solve the problem!!!
glad you made it,....
thank you for remember me to pull high...Tongue
you know what i mean....take careWink
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Re: [elduderino] Wingsuit deployment problems
Nice to see you escaped unhurt Moritz!

Stick with the smoking, it's saferSmile

Neil-NZ
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Re: [BASE_1007] Wingsuit deployment problems
Smile moritz,
U need to eat more suisse chocolate !!!!
This way your fingers will get biggerWink

I saw that opening and it was really strange and long.
For all of the guys here who are speculating about what and why... I can say that PC and the bridle was packed well. I think that such opening clearly happened cause of weak throw....

As BASE is not the safe sport nor will ever be, I advice all jumper to train how to throw. That sequence should be done fast and clean. Also, do not slow down the horisontal speed nor bend your knees. The PC should be send in to clean air, not in to burble.

Also, use PC with big mesh always, not the small mesh because the small mesh only slow down inflation of itself.

LP Robi
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Re: [BASE_1007] Wingsuit deployment problems
I was on the top when Moritz got the snugged pilot shute.

From my ange, we could easely see the pitch ant the pilot chute coming out on the first pitch, but no parachute.

It took about two seconds and then the parachute started lifitng very slowley from the rig. it looked very strange from our angle. But the PC defenetly left the rig on the first pull.

I have seen your packing Moritz and its very neet and controlled. Nothing I can see to react on.

I suggest that this might be one of those small things we can call "the risk"

shit can happen, even if we do everything right. Even if incidents are toa 99% human factors, we still have 1 % left of "shit"


Or you maybe had a lazy pull. it ahppens... and you fly a big wing. its a risky sport man.

Im glad you made it and you should have all credit for fighting all the way. The video isnt very educating but its nasty.