Basejumper.com - archive

http://kboi2.com/...bridge-in-twin-falls

Not many details in the article. I wonder who the expert is and did she have anything out?

I wasn't at the bridge when it happened, but the second and third hand reports I've heard say that she had a fully inflated pilot chute and the pins were extracted prior to impact.

I have not seen any video, and have not inspected the gear, so that's all basically hearsay, though.

Thanks

This incident is very Sad to me both as a jumper and personally. Kristin was a very gentle and genuine spirit and had displayed excellent competence in her Skydiving Career where I have observed it over Many years of watching her grow.

I am not going to speculate on the type of Pilot Chute in Tow. It is Pilot error all the same whether it is bridle routing or preparation into the container, bridle/pin prep, introducing snag points on your body, or possible weak throw and entanglement etc. But I am really left wondering who was she jumping with? What kind of gear checks was she herself asking others for at the exit or taught to ask for before each jump.

Here are some quick discussion points(Lessons Learned)
1./ Mentoring does not stop at just taking a course. Ensure that on follow up trips that you take to Perrine that you find a senior jumper that will look out for you and you can jump alongside. Someone to just ensure you are looking out for unforeseen things which take years to spot. Over the years I have caught some real tricky things with new jumpers. Ole Two ring Tracey in Moab who did not know why she needed the third ring and jumped several times until we noticed and were like, ummmm. She jumped first every time to get it over with(No gear check) and took short delays so when we asked her if she wanted a gear check before she jumped she was surprised to find out that the middle ring on her cutaway actually served a purpose. Also, over the years two bridle routing issues that were from rushed pack jobs...black death. It is not hard to make that mistake if you are not alert or new with poor packing processes. Again, its not JUST about what you learn at a BASE Course - but how you gather different mentors after the fact that show you subtle ways to improve each aspect of the Jump including packing tips and pre-jump checks.

2./ You the jumper are your own greatest risk and you are solely responsible for your life! Always gather a jumping partner who is going to Check you Over and then reciprocate - Chest/legs strap, three rings, pins, and in particular BRIDLE ROUTING before you jump. It is unclear of the exact technicality that lead to this fatality, but I think we all know that a Pilot Chute in Tow is preventable with the correct skills sets and reduction of all snag points including camera.

My heart is utterly broken for her Dad and there are no words to describe such a loss. For all new jumpers, take note that each and every single jump you do needs the care and due diligence even when you already have completed multiple jumps in a day. If you are rushing the last one or feel tired or are trying to keep up with the people you are jumping with - Stand down, grab a beer, rest and wake up to a fresh start!!

Kris

What was the gear configuration? Did anyone gear check her on exit?

I don't know about gear checks on this specific jump, but I'm sure that she was taught to give the gear a complete check on the ground herself before putting it on, and then to get a complete gear check from another jumper as close as possible to exit (in both time and space). The gear check she was taught was; harness not twisted and properly buckled, cutaway system in place, three rings properly assembled and not showing excessive wear, pins free to slide, bridle routed properly with slack above pins and freedom to slide between pins and PC, PC free to slide in and out a few inches (to check that it was not hanging up on the bottom or side flap tapes).

I can say for certain that I had discussed the idea of jumping when fatigued or hung over (or under the influence) with her previously, and why it's not a good idea.

Great response so soon after Kris. My heart is with you and her family, and anyone else close to this.

I have heard the gear was rented/borrowed. Is this true?

Yes.

She hadn't planned on coming to Twin Falls, and didn't have her gear with her. She borrowed the rig from us on Friday morning. She'd borrowed the same rig on one prior trip to Twin Falls (before she owned her own gear) and had used it before that when she took the Fundamentals course. She had a preference for that rig, and I'd guess that she had jumped it as many times as she'd jumped her own gear.

It's our policy to let past students borrow gear to jump the bridge when they are in Twin Falls, and the check out procedure is pretty informal. I wasn't present when she took the rig, and I wasn't aware which rig she had borrowed until later in the day.

FWIW, she also borrowed a helmet and some packing tools from the school at the same time.

my friend, I hope you're not trying to stir the pot, it's already boiling. let it cool down in case you do. I do apologize in case your question was purely out of curiosity.

it don't matter if the gear was owned or rented by the jumper, as a jumper she was the only one responsible to know if the rig she just put on her back was 100% jumpable according to our technical standards.
If say it was rented most likely she got it from one of the professional base gear store around there, or whoever does this kind of business(fjc, BASE instructors and etc). and I'm pretty sure they make sure whatever rig they put on their back is safe to jump in normal conditions and anything had happened it must be a pilot error, either she done something to the system prior the jump or didn't use it properly during the jump. unfortunately she was unlucky and she didn't manage to get to the post jump timeline, at least to be alive and to get the chance to think of all that happened and to just to have the choice to learn something from it.

or if she borrowed it than the one that did let her have his(hers) rig, made damn sure to let her know is safe to jump with and to make sure that she's aware of it.

it is very sad that it happened to one of us, all I know that when one of us goes in it kills all possible opportunities that me a that person will ever meet at least once in our little life(yeah I do wanna die old). most of us who jump will never meet all the rest of others but at least when I get the chance to talk about the sport with a fellow jumper(don't matter his/her skill level, we all have levels) would like to learn something from him/her or at least share a beer and talk about whatever.

"condolences to the grieving family and friends"


peace out

First, condolences to you and her parents and friends. Always terrible to see a shiny light extinguished.

Second, thanks for the detail.

Third, too bad you deleted so much important detail, the most important of which IIRC was that she "ran" to make her last jump.

People, please, whether you run to make a plane or a launch point, if you're running, you're wrong.

And if you're running AND run-down, you increases your risk by order of magnitude. I don't have many BASE jumps but I have many skydives and I seen people die or get hurt because they rush to get on a load. they rush their pack or their gear check or don't get their head in the right place.

What's that stupid line the USA Dept of 'Homeland' security say: If you see something, say something?

It is not stupid to say something when you see something in a sport like ours; if you see someone run or rush to jump, say something! To yourself, to someone else; it is always better to wait and jump another day than to end your days in a rush.

This one make me so sad. It was so unnecessary and it was not just her fault; we have to look out for each other!

yil7, no apology is required. I unapologetically ask tough questions.

Thank you Tom for answering my question which was directed toward her familiarity of the gear she was jumping. I can predict she had more jumps on that gear than I do on my own.

To me this is the scariest/saddest incident because it involves a jumper at my approximate skill level. This is something that could have happened to me.

Next-level wingsuit incidents don't often have teaching points for my current skill level, but this one definitely does.

Shares a similarity with the last Perrine fatality.

I like this.

Any more word on the loaner gear? Manufacturer? Not to open that wound again but was it a floating pin bridle?

We don't have any floating pin bridles in service. Snake River BASE is the only entity on earth to ever issue a warning on the use of floating pins, or to announce that they were fixing floating pins down on rigs originally manufactured with them.

This was a Blackjack 260 in a Helium. I believe the PC was an Apex 42" with a vent and a patch handle, but I haven't verified that.

Because it was Snake River BASE that resurrected them, showed their students how to build them, and told them all to try it out, even on rigs that were never manufactured with them.

Surely someone must be able to confirm by now whether it was some type of hang up, burbled PC, or simply an over dely.

I was there but did not see the incident.

From talking to witnesses, it was some type of bridle hang up or mis-routing. It was not a low pull, and didn't appear to be a PC hesitation due to burble. She exited flat and stable, and took a reasonable delay.

Can't and won't go where everyone expects me to go on this. Wouldn't be right. Based on what I've heard, this incident isn't something where Tom or Snake River BASE Academy can be held directly responsible.

Yes. I said that.

But Tom, your little synopsis above truly shows that your hubris and manipulation of facts knows no bounds. Dial back the creative interpretation of the situation and just admit what Fledgling is saying is true instead of spinning half-truths and omitting details around your introduction of floating pins where they never belonged. You write as if you warned of a problem while leaving out the details of how you brought it into the equation in the first place. Lying by omission is still a lie. Put the truth above marketing for once.

Is it possible for both pins to be popped but the container to remain closed?

I ask because a year ago a good friend of mine towed a PC into that very same river in front of my eyes, and I took a lot of shit from the "it can't happen to me" crowd for reminding everyone that that model of container had the potential for substantial hesitations.

http://www.watchthybridle.com/...pin-locks-in-detail/

It's not relevant to this incident, but that's definitely not true.

If you want to talk via PM or start another thread on that, go ahead, but it's not really something that has any bearing on this incident.

I guess it could be possible but I am struggling to imagine how. I did see this once on a skydive but that is taking container jamming into account.
Edit: With long side flaps, a free packed canopy, and over sized PCs I think it would be improbable.

You took a load of shit because most of your posts simply highlighted your lack of knowledge about the equipment you were blaming (Even now I suspect you still don't know the differences between Gargoyles and Heliums).

Stowed or Hand Held? Was the PC inflated and towing? And reports are saying that the container opened. How was this determined? Visually or after a gear inspection?

A bridle routed through the leg straps/stabilizers could pop the pins (thus no broken closing loops on impact) but still result in a "closed" container.

I was thinking "closed" as in flaps locked closed. I see your point. That's why I asked about the hand held vs stowed.

Unrelated to the accident (as such a thing would be easy to find afterward), with regards to container staying locked.

In skydiving I've seen a student container stay locked, due to shortening the loop on his container, but doing so with a knot above the metal grommet holding it in place (as, he couldn't get the knot out underneath that you'd normally move).
The knot actually slipped through both grommets on the rig, and kept it firmly locked (resulted in reserve ride).
Also seen a similar situation with a forgotten pull-up cord keeping the loop locked. But both are not really situations anyone in base 'should' encounter.

And should be easily identified before, or worse, after.

I'm just adding some photos I took on the boat that happened to include Kristin in case they may be of value to her family and friends. These were taken the morning of May 13th, 2016. My condolences to the family.

Stowed.

The canopy was seen (visually) out of the container prior to impact.

i heard a rumor there was a possible snag (either PC or bridle) upon the saddlebag zipper...

sorry if i'm just fueling the speculation fire. but seems important to me as that could be a whole new possible issue to think about.

I've heard that rumor also, but I don't think it's likely.

The rumor started because the zipper was broken, and that was noted by someone looking at the gear. The zipper was broken before this jump, though.

cool... good to know. still might be food for thought.

Has there been any eye witness jumper that has come forward with their point of view? Possible bridle wrap on arm? Cleared at last moment to extract canopy? Way too many possibilities without having any details.

is it commonplace at your "school" to not repair and send damaged or broken gear into the field with your current/previous students?
seems like an open zipper could be a huge snag hazard?
me personally no F'ing way would I jump something with a huge snag hazard right where the pc and bridle hang out. nor would I allow a friend to borrow gear that needed repair.

-
broken, borrowed, repaired, rented, altered, modified blame-game fucking bullshit . If you want to learn to BASE jump . Then why the fuck Don't people just buy a new BASE rig and be responsible for there own mechanics of there personal property when 'they choose' to step off the exit point ? I'll tell you why, because there a bunch of lazy fucking twats .
.

Why?

i'm assuming you haven't seen this broken zipper personally...

but hey it's easier to assume isn't it

Grab that large mesh pilot cute chute and drag it across an open zipper, and tell me if you would want that right next to your boc.

Do you really pack your PC with the mesh on the outside? Do you really drag it across your leg straps? Pitching down and in front of you?
Do you really jump off of a bridge for no reason? With a snaggy go-pro (of course the only reason to wear a helmet/camera holder)?

I think it's a stretch. People try to wrap themselves up in their bridles and shit all the time and still walk away fine. It's not impossible but I think it's a stretch.

All I can think of is that zipper scene from There's Something About Mary...

All i can think of now is Mary's new hair-do!

Where on a BASE rig did they put a zipper?

I have seen them on jumpsuits, wing suits,

jackets, and gear bags but never on a rig.

Please educate me, show me a photo.

Some rigs have cargo pockets they are on the outside of the legstraps with a zipper , the term was a great place to put water bottles and phones and stuff.. I use to pack some of the rigs with these and after a few months the zipper would break and then the cargo pockets would stay open ( not saying this was the case )

Have a look around there are still quite a few in circulation and you can add them on some companies websites..

Thanks, I totally spaced on those.

Don't forget this is a large hazard with off axis tweener.....

Will we ever get a decent idea of how this fatality happened?

I could see where a head low deployment would bring the pc and bridle very near the cargo pouches. I'm not trying to say "this is the reason" but it is definatly a possibility. I like to minimalize snag hazards near my boc, pretty common sense.

http://globalnews.ca/...d-hole-in-parachute/

I wonder where this info came from. I realize it could be 100% fabricated, but is there any actual basis for this? I hadn't heard anything about it.

Are you shitting me? Nothing happens. You can't even force it to snag even if you painstakingly place the mesh between the zipper teeth. The slightest bit of pressure and it falls right back out again.

The zip would have to repair itself and zip closed over the PC in order to snag that mesh - and that's if you're dumb enough to get the PC anywhere near it in the first place.

 
Isn't this one of the laws we are supposed to have already learned? If it can happen then it will, eventually. I have seen some malfunctions after the fact that just blew my mind that the stars aligned to cause it.

Not saying it did here but I wouldn't poo-poo the idea so much.

Wonder if she landed in tree or if tom will get blamed for floating pin holed pilot chute.

I believe the basis for the Local news reporting a hole in her parachute was likely tied to her memorial page. https://www.facebook.com/groups/253857331634353/ It's about half way down and it is a torn pilot chute from a previous jump. However, the caption reads "This one just killed me" which I believe was intended more as "Haha this picture make me laugh so hard it figuratively kills me" but for the news is easier to interpret as "This hole in this tiny parachute just literally killed someone". Easy mistake ...

Attached is a picture from a few jumps prior. It shows the state of the gear. She did 4 jumps prior all stowed to my understanding and her 5th was her last. She did not receive a gear check by anybody's recognition?? I find it strange that she supposedly cut in line of many jumpers to catch up with her friends and there was no topside video rolling to give us a glimpse of her BOC and possible leg strap entanglement?

If I had a nickel for every time an incident/fatality was posted in this forum and the string turned into some expedition to reveal Tom has this BASE Devil just waiting to get his name in the next fatality. Just seems pointless and counter-productive and minimalizes the fatal struggle of the deceased prior to death as they attempted to solve their problem and that is what we really need to focus on to provide new tools to everybody here. For new jumpers the quest to discredit Tom just shows how dysfunctional we are as a group. I am not suggesting Tom is the greatest or always correct but I know that when I watch older "wiser" people "bicker", I just turn my head and don't listen to EITHER of them and that becomes an epidemic where now NO information is being absorbed. So let's bury this Tom bullshit or you are discrediting yourself and you probably have something really important for us to learn.

I feel like some outstanding questions here are:
1./ Did this particular set of gear have the floating Pin arrangement.
2./ The canopy was seen just prior to impact. Could this just come from an entangled bridle/legstrap pulling the pins as the jumper balls up and turns to brace the impact? This is significant to me because we may never truly know if there was an entanglement but if it wasn't around the legstrap why would she not have just put her hand around the gear and puled the bridle like a normal pilot chute in tow.

I think the critical Learnings here for new jumpers are:

1./ If you are a new jumper (less than 2 years) then your jumping/learnings would be way more prolific if you had a Senior Jumper(s) looking our for you with Gear check reviews, Packing reviews, mental/Physical preparation. I still do this as it is better to always be a "new" jumper. The less you think you know the longer you will live.

2./ As Ray points out so bluntly and to his style ... Have your own gear. Kristin had her own gear but she had not planned to go to the bridge. It was a last minute idea to go from Vegas to Perrine ... that statement sums it up. You are going to do one of the most dangerous activities on the planet ... last minute...

3./ Know your gear configuration intimately. If the world of Floating pins and bridles and gobbledygoops is still a mystery then we "gots" a problem. It saddens me that I still meet people at an exit with 5 years experience that don't know why they place a small bridle fold around the pin as the Manufacturers Instructions just tell them to?

4./ As stated prior in this thread by wiser people ... If you are running to the exit for any reason then it is time to do a reality check and cancel or defer the jump until you have the time you need to enjoy the journey and engage in it in all aspects.

Kris

I myself find them very useful(them zipped pockets) for my kind of jump profiles. as you can see my experience and jump numbers is low. I don't do aerials, my jumps are usually 'belly to earth' kind of jumps. I mean nothing fancy when jumping slider off/up and tracking(when jumping something trackable with pants). I have a Helium rig size 4 with them already discussed saddlebags(nice construction with good zippers and protected - thank you Kathy!) and a 265 troll, both custom made to my size and weight.
when tracking and wearing a track suit this pockets can't be a pb at all. when not doing aerials and pitching in stable belly to earth position it can't normally interfere with them only if you don't know how to toss a PC to save your life or you've been thought wrong by someone else or you read here or there and you judged it in your own way. I know...what if you trying to do a normal jump and shit hits the fan and only escape is to toss that pilot chute?....than you better not be a pussy and toss that fucker like your life depends on it(practice that, it's the best way in my opinion from what I've learned)
main reason I use this pockets is for jump accessories that always stay with the rig and checked regularly according to their purpose until they do their job(tailgates, slider, wrench, pull-up cord, rubber bands already cut in size depending of their needs, extra bridle for ultra low jumps, 2 pieces of closing loops, take away SL,carabiner and one sling, one d-link and that's about it). extra PCs I keep them inside the stash bag in case I travel long way to an object. you never know when you must change your plans and if you don't have some of this in handy than best course of action is that you're not going to jump the alternate object or exit or whatever according to the new profile of the jump that you were not prepared for. in my short base experience it happened only once and I was already prepared, and glad to pe prepared and also that I've picked up this advice from some one I've met that's not even a base jumper or a skydiver, just an observer. of course you can carry anything you want, bottles or whatever. I try to not put too much just not to overstretch the material(btw is cordura wit YKK zippers). all things enumerated above take small space and are soft therefore bendable without losing their main characteristics.
you gotta try it and you'll be amazed how many useful things you can carry inside them. and if it's a water bottle or something similar in size that uses to much space and also stretches the material and zippers than there is other useful options in order to take them with you. jump with them inside the track pants is one example. in case you jump slick don't try to find excuses, find solutions instead. in case you do crazy shit, adjust your gear according to your shit(one simple example is using ducked tape or anything close in order to eliminate potential hazards)
this is just my opinion regarding the saddlebags, not the incident. I've already spoke about it. I know we try to find answers, my opinion is that: leg pouches....really?!
*edited:
p.s. about me not doing aerials....since I jump from fixed objects I've only once done arials and that was out of my own stupidity, at BD2011, when I did a triple front on my very second BASE jump ever. disregarded everyone else's advices on that jump, didn't know at the time the gravity of my actions until much later. the jump went well, almost made the main LZ but have it been other chain of events I would pb not sit here and write this words. bottom line is: IS so easy to have fun in this sport but to keep IT durable is so fucking hard!

It's been stated further up in the thread that the school who loaned her the gear has ceased using floating pin bridles.

Furthermore, I believe the person who investigated the gear confirmed this setup did not have a floating pin bridle.

As to the broken zipper (or zipper pull), I think that gives people something to think about as a snag point for mesh on the PC. However minor, it does seem a potential snag point in a less than ideal body position. Unlikely? Sure, but possible if head-low, on side, etc.

That said, if the PC was seen being towed fully inflated, 3-4 feet above the jumper, that kind of negates the theory that the PC's mesh was hung up on the zipper. Just not possible for it to be hung up and towed, fully inflated at the same time.

The short distance above the jumper implies some sort of misroute or if not misrouted, some hang-up of the bridle. Which begs the question of how the canopy could have been extracted just prior to impact as has been reported if the bridle was not seen at full stretch.

All other things aside, the situation just plain sucks and without video

--By the way, how the hell was there not video if so many people were present? GoPros grow like weeds on that exit--

...I don't know how we'll reach anything conclusive.

I hope something can be pulled together in the form of a report by experienced people at the bridge together with eye witnesses, that we can learn from. Whether it's from Tom or Chuma or whoever doesn't matter, but there just does not seem to be a lot of hard info available right now.

P.S.
Whilst this is apparently a bridle hang-up, it reminds me of a similar one I read about a while back that involved a PC hesitation.
#100 - almost exactly 10 years ago - low experience, PC issue at the same object, which led to a similar discussion about PCs and deployment:

http://www.basejumper.com/...rum.cgi?post=2259860

A report is being written as we speak from a very experienced base jumper who inspected the gear...

Its a sad loss about the findings which will come out in all good time...

Jump safe people the season inNorthern hemisphere is just beginning and we are already at 8 people losing there lives.

What about a misrouted bridle and the jumper pulling the bridle (if possible) past the part where it got stuck? The part between the first pin and the part it got stuck.

Maybe.

But then there's a pretty big difference between a one in a million if the stars align and everything happens juuuust right snag hazard and a 'huge' snag hazard which someone wouldn't ever risk jumping with.

You'd probably have more chance of a pin lock than snagging your pc mesh on zipper teeth yet most of us still use rigs with pin covers. There's definitely more risk (orders of magnitude more risk) of dying from a camera entanglement yet GoPros are still everywhere.

I bet it wouldn't do any harm to cover that potential snag hazard with some tape. Then again what if that tape started coming off and making it another snag hazard!

My point is just that things can happen in our sports where we end up saying "holy shit, I never thought that could have happened". If you haven't seen that yet then it is just a matter of time.

What does she have on her wrist/hand?

That was the first thing I asked her friend and he said its a band from vegas, This was not part of the issue..

It's more than just the band from vegas. It almost looks like some sort of wrist wrap as well as the black band. I wasn't really thinking that it anything to do with this fatality but when I saw the photo it reminded me of my first time at the Perrine when a friend hurt his wrist and then put on one of those wrist/hand braces. He did a handheld exit and the PC mesh clearly snags on the velcro or other parts of the brace. It didn't cause any more issues for deployment but it was an exciting 1/2 second!

Personally, I don't wear anything on my deployment hand/wrist and rarely anything on my other one.

Can't argue with that.
Jumping borrowed gear is black death.
I won't do it.
i once traveled to Norway in 2001, waited for 4 days for my gear to arrive, went home after 4 days to find my gear sitting @ LAX.
Had plenty of chance to borrow gear.
Politely declined all offers.

Went back a few months later, but shipped gear FedEx.
made 27 jumps.
all was good.

People borrow gear all the time. Unpack it, inspect it and make sure you are familiar with it. In this case, usage aside it's the same process you go through when you purchase new gear.

Is there any new info about what happened here?

Since there is no report. I heard from good source. Bridle was wedged under right side stiffener and container. Blue skies.

where is the right side stiffener? I thought they went to upper and lower as the jumper is standing.
Thanks in advance.
take care,
space.

I'm not 100% sure, but I know someone with a pin cover flap kinda like this one

http://www.watchthybridle.com/...inst_tuck_closed.jpg

BUT instead of the pin cover flap being tapered like that one it's more like the red rectangle in this picture

http://i.imgur.com/aAcdpjN.jpg

so that, if the bridle pulls up in some orientations (orange arrow), the pin cover flap can bunch up under the stiffener that it's tucked under on the right side instead of being peeled/wedged out. I was very easily able to replicate the bunching on my friend's rig and it scared the shit out of us. I could put my foot against the rig and pull as hard as I wanted without it opening

In this incident, was the jumper using such a flap/container design?

For short delays, especially hand held, I leave the pins and bridle exposed.

Any knowledge or info about repairs or modifications to the stiffener on this rig? Anything out of the norm?

I believe it was patched in that same spot.

Why?

Hey, B. Because--despite evidence to the contrary, even hundreds or thousands of jumps--anything that constrains the bridle and extraction in low airspeed adds unnecessary complexity?

And apparently in two recent fatalities at Twin, pin flaps have apparently come into play with the pins and bridles.

Just my $0.02.

it helps an already confined bridle and pin for more movement and lessen hesi.

https://vimeo.com/76213539

Skunkape containers seem to address this issue real nice.

I don't agree with this video. Container opening is typically more violent and rapidly removes the pins. The demonstration on most rigs in the video shows people gently pulling on the bridle while still supporting some of the rig weight with their hands. Some of the rigs you can see the pin about to start sliding and they stop pulling. I'm not saying this is not a potential problem. But the video is a poor demonstration compared to what happens during a jump.

You rock on dude! take it to the limit. No body tells you what to do!!!! Stand in line for stoopid floating pin bounce number.
take care,
space

How did the the floating pin get introduced from my comment? My reply was solely about the bridle pin flap. I don't jump a floating pin. So don't worry, that number is all yours.

Ok, My mistake.
Take care,
space.

So, there is an article on the WatchThyBridle blog that goes along with this video. I don't think the video is designed to demonstrate that containers will be infinitely death locked, and I think he even mentions that the oscillation of a PC will clear most of them in the article. I think the video is a teaching aid to show that some orientations can cause the container to open later than expected (whether that "later" is too late to walk away or too late to live varies). The biggest teaching point is that almost ALL (I don't think he tested a Skunk Ape container) container and pin flap styles have a locking mode, and you can be a safer jumper by understanding potential hang ups for the container you are jumping. If you're borrowing gear, it's wise to do this research beforehand.

You are right and wrong. I had a conversation with the guy that runs the blog via email a long while ago about this (long before Bryan's accident). For most containers the "lock" scenario isn't actually a lock as much as it is a hesitation. In most of the non tuck under cases it takes an additional 5-10 pounds of pull force to clear.

The tuck under case, however, clears via either drastic change of pull force direction (Tom mentioned "flailing jumper" in person to me, not pilot chute oscillation) or stitching failure

This could be a good marketing opportunity for Bad Seed :)

That must've hurt! Damn!

Admittedly I'm more familiar with the tuck-in style (I own a Gargoyle). But from what I've looked at on the photos of the malfunction mode, the bridle locking on the bottom corner Looks like it will naturally put you into a head low(er) orientation (because of where the drag force is pulling on your body) and this head low orientation is going to clear the malfunction. It's not pilot chute oscillation (as you said) but I don't think it necessarily takes any flailing.

Head low won't clear the pin lock (at least from what I remember... I don't have a Gargoyle on hand at the moment). The pin gets jammed in the pocket against the stitching. The pull force has to go to the jumper's left.

Does packing it right flap first and left flap second reduces the chance of this time of hang up in the Gargoyle? This is not what manufacturer recommends but it looks as if it makes it less likely.

Okay, sorry, I misunderstood which pin flap style we were talking about earlier. I previously had the wrap around, Perigee Pro style, in mind.

I did quite a bit of my own testing on my Gargoyle before I started jumping it. I'm intimately familiar with the particular locking description that (I think) you're talking about. I've oriented the pin eyelet under the pocket and pulled directly to the right and was able to clear it. It took a lot of force, and bent the pocket a little, but there was no permanent damage to stitching. I've also tried to catch the pin tip on the bottom corner, but the grommet is too far from the corner for anything to catch. I know this rig was built after Bryan's incident, so maybe she changed something or maybe it's a function of varied geometry between rigs. I'm not saying this is how every other gargoyle will work, but I have successfully cleared the bottom corner pin lock without breaking anything (it did take a lot of force though).

But further to the point of if it was more difficult to clear, this malfunction is primarily going to come from you being off axis on deployment. I'm not doing any barrel rolls, so I'm not expecting to be super left shoulder low on deployment. But even if you were, the pull direction of the pilot chute would reorient you back belly to earth. If the pilot chute is pulling directly up, this kind of lock is much more likely to clear. In fact if you can lift a Gargoyle that weighs 15 Lbs up just by the bridle and shake it around (as a pilot chute would oscillate) I'd be shocked. I'd probably give you $25 for the video.

And even with all this faith behind the system, I still don't really trust it. So I'm particular to the point of being ridiculous about my pin orientation, and I use a technique to basically hide the pocket altogether. If your left pin flap is long enough, and you close "right then left" you can actually place the left pin flap (the part with the grommets) OVER the pocket. Then it's like the pocket isn't even there. The left side that tucks in basically just lays over the top of the pins, which provides ample protection for most climbing and bumping. The only time it would cause an issue is putting your back up to a wall and rotating left. I do this for most of my slider down jumps, which means most of my jumps altogether. I've found it harder to do as my closing loops have stretched, but you could totally make the left pin flap longer to the point that it extends way over the pocket. I've had trouble locating the picture, but I'll try to take another one to show you.

That's an interesting technique about reversing the side flaps. My helium will ALMOST allow that, but will pop under the pocket with any movement. I think that the relationship between the grommets and the pocket is a little different between rigs.
It's my thinking that having the pin cover flap open will encourage/allow the pin/bridle/webbing that holds the pin to rotate under the pocket, especially if you're off axis. I've been unable to recreate any locking malfunction with my rig, but I don't think it's impossible. I think it has to do with the unique grommet/pocket relationship in each rig. Also, the bartacking holding the pin might play a role - if the bartack is in line with the length of the bridle, it'll be harder to bend around the bottom of the flap when head high, whereas when the bartack is width wise, it's a little easier to bend/curl around that point.
I believ that having your gargoyle flap closed at all times encourages the bridle to stay in line, and not be pulled to the side. I've made many static line jumps with it closed (all of my jumps actually), and around 40 short delay freefall jumps with it closed.
Just my thoughts.
Edited to add-
The original bridle that came from Kathy had the barracks on the pins placed width wise. I ordered a new one from her a while ago that had the barracks placed lengthwise. It is noticeably stiffer to bend. I've been jumping bridles made by a local rigger who places them width wise.
Edited again - BARRACKS- fucking auto correct!!

Its been 2.5 months... still no official report? Is there no official report? Is the long and short dont go base jumping after a weekend bender? Or is there more to take away from this?

I think its do jump borrowed gear.

I think the lesson is "dont jump anything borrowed"

This got my wheels turning. Partly because it happened the day I left the Perrine after my FJC.

After reading all this I had to pull out my rig to try and figure what you guys were talking about. I think I replicated it? Either way I learned a valuable lesson about when you speak of proper bridle routing.

I just tucked a tiny bit of bridle up under the right side stiffener. In a head high scenario(I'm pulling up) I cannot pull the pin free as it binds on the closing loop.

Not sure if that's what happened, or what is being said.... But I'm glad this site exists and just taught me a possible fatal mistake for such a tiny bit of mis routing.

[URL=http://s1357.photobucket.com/user/WildernessMedic/media/BASE%20Jumping/80F82A8F-FC14-4DDF-8F9F-A6B6542687E4_zpssb4nezem.jpg.html]