{"id":26883,"date":"2020-07-16T11:19:12","date_gmt":"2020-07-16T11:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/?p=26883"},"modified":"2024-07-18T11:00:13","modified_gmt":"2024-07-18T11:00:13","slug":"community-eyes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/community-eyes\/","title":{"rendered":"Community Eyes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Let\u2019s all look after each other, especially in this crazy world\u2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Chest strap undone \u2013 anyone in the aircraft could have spotted this<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I’ve got some super scary stories for you\u2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Scary Story 1 \u2013 Lifesaving Eyes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A few years ago, I remember being at a well-known dropzone in California participating on an early 4-way training camp in the late 90s. I was boarding their Twin Otter and a skydiver was late. He was a cameraman for another group and moments later he finally arrived running up the stairs, last on. He’d forgotten something vital\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026 unbelievably he was not wearing his RIG and he hadn’t noticed! None of his group had detected the unimaginable and it was only the diligent eyes someone from my team who discovered this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scary Story 2 \u2013 No Eyes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now here is a tragic reality. In 1988 cameraman Ivan Lester McGuire did the same thing<\/a>, boarded without a rig. No-one spotted it. Ivan was the last one out to jump from a Twin Beech aircraft and the inevitable happened, he died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes this so believable is the amount of time we spend in aircraft mock-ups without rigs on, compared to with rigs on. But it is the ultimate example of complacency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scary Story 3 \u2013 Lifesaving Eyes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The potential carnage continues with this story from Andrew Hilton, a long-time skydiver and British Skydiving Rigger Examiner\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Once at Skydive Hibaldstow, the bus for a load came back to the centre as someone had forgotten their goggles, they dived out of the bus, grabbed their goggles and tried to get back on the bus. In those 10 seconds, I had noticed that the skydiver\u2019s chest strap was misrouted and challenged them to see if they had been gear checked. The jumper and his gear checker were both on that bus and obviously both had missed the misrouted chest strap (and missing goggles too). I wonder whether they would ever have noticed if they hadn’t had to bring the bus back for goggles, or if I hadn’t been walking by at the time.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I have noticed misrouted chest straps multiple times, including several on big-ways in the aircraft, where the jumpers should have had the experience to at least gear themselves up, but were obviously focussed on other things and distracted.” <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Misrouted 3-ring system<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

List of Near Misses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That incredible story is possibly the worst incident where someone got away with a likely fatal incident. But the list of other near-misses and lesser incidents are all around, these are all real examples of gear problems spotted in in the aircraft\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • A mis-rigged 3-ring system<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Un-cocked pilot chutes or those half hanging out<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Bridles not tucked in<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Moving into a position to dive out on a big way, unaware that their main flap and closing pin had opened up<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Emergency handles hanging completely separate from the harness<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Wingsuit arms unzipped just prior to exit<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • No helmet (I’ve been guilty of boarding a bus myself on that one, but I went back and picked it up in time)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The list goes on. But what do all these things have in common? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    All these potential accidents could easily have been spotted and prevented by anyone else on the airplane.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
    <\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Example \u2013 floating cutaway pad <\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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