Friday Freakout: Skydiver’s Parachute Brake Line Wraps Around Slider

Get your TEEM gear here: For licensing/usage please contact licensing@ and reference CS-000493 ___________________________________ *WHAT HAPPENED* After a solo jump just trying some different body positions this jumper went to his belly, pitched, and for a second it looked like his canopy was opening with no issues. However, while for a brief moment, his slider is visibly uncollapsed and square, immediately afterwards the right side has collapsed and a brake line appears to have become snagged on one of the slider drawstrings. The jumper attempted to clear the malfunction unsuccessfully and ultimately cut away, deployed his reserve, and landed safely. *WHY DID IT HAPPEN* Improper Slider Procedures The jumper noted in his submission that the “reason for the cutaway [was] mainly bad packing of the slider, to be precise, not tucking in the extra line for the slider collapse.“ An experienced rigger who viewed the video concurred with that assessment, noting that the way that the slider drawstring on the left side appears to have quite a bit hanging out made them think that this jumper may have not completely and properly uncollapsed the slider after their last jump. *HOW COULD IT BE PREVENTED* Avoid Complacency To many jumpers, uncollapsing a slider is about as natural as unzipping a jacket or putting on a seat belt while starting their car; it’s a simple reflexive act which is done without thought. This tendency can be particularly dangerous in a sport like skydiving, where every step of every jump is designed to minimize risks in an inherently dangerous activity. By letting actions become second nature, we stop thinking through them, stop making sure they’re done correctly, and end up taking small things for granted which can lead to bigger issues when one of those small things goes wrong. Don’t Develop Bad Habits It is also worth noting that, while this could have been a single freak incident where the right side drawstring had too much excess hanging out, the fact that the left side drawstring also appears to have excess hanging out is suggestive of a habit rather than a single random incident. That, in turn, suggests that this jumper may have over time developed a bad habit early on while learning to pack. ___________________________________ Check out for the best skydiving and BASE jumping videos on the planet. Served fresh, daily. Stalk us on Facebook: Subscribe on YouTube:  Follow us on Twitter: See what we’re up to on Instagram: @JOINTHETEEM