What Causes a Baglock Mal?
Brian Darnell
that I can't understand the mechanical cause of. Can anyone out there
explain potential causes? Are there precautions that we can take to
minimize the likelyhood of it happening?
Curious in Chicago
(Brian Darnell)
James Mc Cuskey
I had a baglock on my 18th jump. When the deployment bag was found,
one of the lines was still caught in the last rubber band. No one
could explain why it hadn't been pulled free. The general concensus
was, "shit happens".
Since then I always use tube stows, although many of my skydiving
friends swear by rubber bands, and have never had a problem.
Jim McCuskey
D-15125
Cindy Pirkkala
>
>Out of all the possible high-speed malfunctions, the baglock is the
one
>that I can't understand the mechanical cause of. Can anyone out there
>explain potential causes? Are there precautions that we can take to
>minimize the likelyhood of it happening?
>
>Curious in Chicago
>(Brian Darnell)
>I know of one particular baglock which occured when an AFF JM's main
container caught on a protrusion from the jump door (since removed)
causing the bag to come out of his container (& slap him upside the
head) He then deployed his hand deploy pilot chute & watched the whole
mess become a bag-lock. Since his fall-rate with the bag lock was very
near that of the student (level V) he stayed around 'til the student
deployed, then cutaway & pulled his reserve.
I think that most baglocks are probably caused by out-of-sequence
deployments. Don't get "too tight rubber band" paranoid.
EFSpete
>that I can't understand the mechanical cause of. Can anyone out there
>explain potential causes?
one cause is the deployment is out of sequence and the lines find a way to
half hitch around the bag. I've seen it on mains and heard of it on
reserves
pete
ENeed81834
writes:
>Out of all the possible high-speed malfunctions, the baglock is the one
>that I can't understand the mechanical cause of. Can anyone out there
>explain potential causes? Are there precautions that we can take to
>minimize the likelyhood of it happening?
I had a baglock once. It was related to the big grommet that the PC
bridle passed through having pulled out fo the material. I don't
understand any better, either, but you can bet your bottom dollar that I
check that grommet on every pack I so much as LOOK at! Whether mine or
anybody else's.
That one almost got me -- reserve out below 500 feet and knocked me
out!
Earl
Trying2Fly
writes:
>one cause is the deployment is out of sequence and the lines find a way
to
>half hitch around the bag. I've seen it on mains and heard of it on
>reserves
>pete
>
>
What? When? Who? Where?
Bryan Enos
when we recovered the bag, canopy, etc, we tested the pull on the lines...over 55 lbs before
it let go. Now it would seem that 55lbs would be no problem, but I guess not in this case!
Well, to correct this problem, we all only put one wrap on the first two stowes(above the
cascade).
Blue Skies and Soft Landings!
Bryan D-17749 JM95
Cypres Equipped
Barry Brumitt
> Out of all the possible high-speed malfunctions, the baglock is the one
> that I can't understand the mechanical cause of. Can anyone out there
> explain potential causes? Are there precautions that we can take to
> minimize the likelyhood of it happening?
One rigger I know advises to avoid stowing the cascades, *particularly* of the
steering lines, in a stow. He thinks since they are much stiffer, they can get
mechanically stuck in the stow and hitch somehow. I suspect this is far more
relevant to those with Dacron lines, than those with spectra. Dacron
fingertraps are a lot stiffer/inflexible than spectra.
Barry
--
Barry L. Brumitt | bel...@frc2.frc.ri.cmu.edu |99.9%|Disclaimer: Opinions
Robotics GradStudent| Skydive! D-15427,SL/AFF I'95 | PGP |given herein may not
Carnegie Mellon | My 15kilobytes of fame: |Savvy| be the opinions of
"Who is John Galt?" | http://www.frc.ri.cmu.edu/~belboz/ |FRC, SCS, RI, or CMU
RGreenw104
>The only baglock that I've observed was when the packer wrapped the first
>line stow 2 times.
>when we recovered the bag, canopy, etc, we tested the pull on the
>lines...over 55 lbs before
>it let go. Now it would seem that 55lbs would be no problem, but I guess
not
>in this case!
>Well, to correct this problem, we all only put one wrap on the first two
>stowes(above the
>cascade).
Whenever I've seen this, it was from a very worn out pilot chute.
Jeremy Joubert
>Subject: What Causes a Baglock Mal?
>Date: 4 Oct 1995 16:06:12 GMT
>Out of all the possible high-speed malfunctions, the baglock is the one
>that I can't understand the mechanical cause of. Can anyone out there
>explain potential causes? Are there precautions that we can take to
>minimize the likelyhood of it happening?
>Curious in Chicago
>(Brian Darnell)
This is one of the most frequent malfunctions I have seen. The cause has
always been the jumper deploying while horribly unstable, which results in out
of sequence deployment. What often seems to happen, is that the bridle cord
wraps around the suspension lines, before they are fully un-stowed, thus
locking the bag. (These have always been with ripcord deployed spring-loaded
pilot chutes.)
The best way of preventing this is merely by arching and deploying while
stable. These mals have always been with early freefall students. I have yet
to see a baglock with an experienced jumper, although I guess bad packing, ie.
the way the lines are stowed, could result in a similar situation. Certainly,
a weak spring in a spring-loaded pilot chute could contribute to the problem,
when dumped while unstable.
Jeremy Joubert
D646, S/L JM
Cape Town
South Africa
76401,62@compuserve.com
Brian Darnell <cog...@mcs.net> writes:
>Out of all the possible high-speed malfunctions, the baglock is the one
>that I can't understand the mechanical cause of. Can anyone out there
>explain potential causes? Are there precautions that we can take to
>minimize the likelyhood of it happening?
>
>Curious in Chicago
>(Brian Darnell)
>
Hey Brian,
Another thing that can cause a baglock is a worn out pilot chute. This coupled with
the doubling of the rubber bands can give you one in a flash. Check your pilot chute
regularly. Replace it about every 500 jumps or less.
J.R. Sides
AFF I/96
"Never stand up a baglock......"
Cliff Saunders
>
> > Out of all the possible high-speed malfunctions, the baglock is the one
> > that I can't understand the mechanical cause of. Can anyone out there
> > explain potential causes? Are there precautions that we can take to
> > minimize the likelyhood of it happening?
When stowing your suspension lines, don't make the loops too big.
Take care, have fun, be safe.
Cliff
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Christine
>>one cause is the deployment is out of sequence and the lines find a way
>to
>>half hitch around the bag. I've seen it on mains and heard of it on
>>reserves
>>pete
>>
>>
>
>What? When? Who? Where?
This happened to my husband, a jumper with over twenty years experience.
We both jump pull-outs. He grabbed his dildo and popped his pin and, as
he was putting his pilot chute out, was startled by another jumper who
was doing a stand up and came very close to him. His reaction was to
sort of sit up and take notice. During this time, we assume that the bag
fell out of the container. Then, when he released his pilot chute, it
did the hitch around the lines.
His new rig, a Javellin, seems to be made such as to prevent the bag
"falling" out of the container. (I say "seems" because I've only seen
the rig a few times this season. He's sitting it out after an incident
resulting from too much testosterone and not enough judgement. 8-)
We are both very impressed with the way that the Javellin is designed,
from the container to the pull-out handle.
.Christine Mank..
American Citizen--Canadian Jumpep
Bradley C. Spatz
> [on avoiding a bag-lock]
>Along with all the other good advice in this thread may I add:
>When stowing your suspension lines, don't make the loops too big.
I make my (micro-) line stows 3" and double wrap my rubber bands (except
for the first 2 stows). I get comments on how "dangerous" that is but
since doing this consistently my openings have been much nicer. Along
with the microline, my ZP pilot chute generates a significant snatch
force and I've found these "large" stows make for softer openings.
Thanks Ej and John LeBlanc.
Oh yeah:
_____
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\_/
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.-'( | )`-.
\\. (\_/) .//
\\|.. )o o( ..|//
\`````` ' O ` ''''''/
|. .|
|{ }|
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V
Bat-lock!
[Sorry Barry]
Pat Works
Bag locks are caused by not paying your dues to the
packing Gremlins which infest your DZ.
As proof, Note that the bag lock never occured much before about 1968!
Then, to ward off the dread lock of bag. 99.4% of jumpers protected
them selves by jumping sleeves instead of bags.
It worked!
Think about it. A bag is basicly a pillowcase. In fact, the
first bags I saw jumped WERE pillow cases. Pillow cases get
scared at opening. It is natural to them. (they are bed stuff).
To avoid bag locks.
1. Talk to your bag as you stuff it.
be gentle. Tell it of your plans.
2. try and assure that the bag follows the pilot chute.
Bags are NOT leaders. When they lead the
pilot chute, they choke and lock up.
Even worse is letting the lines lead the opening
parade. Messy!
A BOC and a pin-check will help this.
Healthy rubberbands correctly used prevent
the spread of this disease.
3. Jump a diaper or sleeve.
4. Switch to a free bag
If you happen to LIKE bag locks, try this:
1. use big weak rubber bands
2. use short stows
3. Have a wimp pilot chute
4. Do not THROW your pilot chute, rather
just sorta wave it about like a flag
and drop it
5. Change the length of your bridle
Remember, if you plan a bag lock, get video.
it is Always exciting!
crazy pat
John B. Sherman
around (which is the most common in my experience) it is caused (like most
malfunctions) by body position. The bag has lifted off your back and then
is returnes to your back by the air flow, causing the lines to go slack and
get above the bag. Typically the bag then dives under one or part of one
group.
Remember "Sit up and Dump" as I am sure you were all taught. Keep your
shoulders level with the ground at all times and rotate to a sitting
position around the axis of you shoulders allowing the air to flow up over
your back giving positive drag and inflation to you pilot chute. Keep
flying during this process and if you feel one side of you butt loading
less than your other side push down on that side.
Short of a blatent packing error the above process will prevent most mals.
John
Trying2Fly
<she...@america.com> writes:
>
>Bag lock must first be defined. If it is because of a line group wrapping
>around (which is the most common in my experience) it is caused (like
most
>malfunctions) by body position.
John, about six weeks ago you said the same thing. And then you posted
different malfunction rates for different types of gear. So, were you
wrong then or are you wrong now?
Cicero
Your getting crazier (sp?) all the time. Thanks for the
Laugh.
Wayne