Posted on May 3, 2020
Army Probe Calls For New Procedures After Deadly Ranger Parachute Accident
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Not a jump guy, but is it normal to have civilian riggers for military parachutists?
Army Probe Calls For New Procedures After Deadly Ranger Parachute Accident
Posted from military.com
Airborne School
82nd ABN
Parachuting
92R: Parachute Rigger
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 9
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LT Brad McInnis, I was Army airborne and I was a civilian skydiver. Because of the skydiving, I became an FAA certified Senior Parachute Rigger. In the civilian skydiving world, the jumper packs his own main and an FAA certified rigger packs all reserves. In the traditional Army airborne world, Army riggers pack all the parachutes. However, I never was an Army military free fall skydiver, so I can’t attest to the parachute packing practices of any of the military free fall units, regardless of branch. I do know that in the civilian world, the rigger has a logbook and a smaller logbook is attached to the reserve. Both are signed when the parachute is packed. In a civilian skydiving incident, after ascertaining the status of the jumper, investigators focus on equipment.
There’s a lot of information not revealed in the article. However, I found these quotes to be conflicting:
“The investigator, whose name was redacted, points out that while there was an initial inquiry to find out who packed the malfunctioning parachute, there was no follow-up investigation.
‘There is no deeper investigation into the packing procedures and rigger checks associated with the packing of a parachute,’ investigators wrote.
‘While the training, qualifications, certification, and level of experience of the riggers and civilian packers involved in parachute packing for this training is well documented ... based upon my experience it seems highly unlikely that a brake line would spontaneously come unstowed ... had a parachute been packed and checked to standard.’”
Why civilian riggers are used is unknown to me. Perhaps it’s a function of availability of military riggers. I simply don’t know. I’m hopeful that MSG Dan Castaneda will shed some light on the subject for us.
I did find that on page 2-3 of the FAA Parachute Rigger Handbook FAA-H-8083-17A Change I indicates that “premature brake line release is a major cause of malfunctions.”
PVT James Strait Lt Col Charlie Brown SP5 Jim Curry CPT (Join to see) MSG Tom Earley SFC (Join to see)
There’s a lot of information not revealed in the article. However, I found these quotes to be conflicting:
“The investigator, whose name was redacted, points out that while there was an initial inquiry to find out who packed the malfunctioning parachute, there was no follow-up investigation.
‘There is no deeper investigation into the packing procedures and rigger checks associated with the packing of a parachute,’ investigators wrote.
‘While the training, qualifications, certification, and level of experience of the riggers and civilian packers involved in parachute packing for this training is well documented ... based upon my experience it seems highly unlikely that a brake line would spontaneously come unstowed ... had a parachute been packed and checked to standard.’”
Why civilian riggers are used is unknown to me. Perhaps it’s a function of availability of military riggers. I simply don’t know. I’m hopeful that MSG Dan Castaneda will shed some light on the subject for us.
I did find that on page 2-3 of the FAA Parachute Rigger Handbook FAA-H-8083-17A Change I indicates that “premature brake line release is a major cause of malfunctions.”
PVT James Strait Lt Col Charlie Brown SP5 Jim Curry CPT (Join to see) MSG Tom Earley SFC (Join to see)
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SP5 Michael Barczykowski
When at Ft. Bragg, 68/69, the riggers would have to take a randomly picked chute that they had packed and jump it. I don't remember if it was a monthly or qualification jump that they had to do it. Definitely kept them on their toes.
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LTC Stephen C.
SP5 Michael Barczykowski, that’s an old practice and I think it still continues. I always heard it was done monthly, but I could be wrong. Regardless, the rig that contributed to the fatality in the article was packed by a civilian.
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SFC (Join to see)
LTC Stephen C. it's definitely still a requirement for Army riggers. Interesting fact I learned while jumping on an airbase in Tokyo is that the AF riggers aren't airborne. That always seemed to me like they didn't have any skin in the game and thank God I never jumped their rigs.
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SSgt (Join to see)
I never jumped in the military but am a C Licensed jumper in the civilian world. The article was a bit strange and lacking on investigation it seems. As far as a brake line deployment on opening, there can be several reasons - all due to wear and tear. This should have been caught before packing during the visual inspection phase. On top of that, it is easy to feel the stow is too loose when doing the initial stow. Once you have it stowed, you should give a good pull on both brake lines to make sure they remain stowed before turning your attention to the parachute packing itself.
On a side note, my daughter, who was only 11 at the time, packed my main for probably 100 of my jumps. I taught her how and never had a problem with my own gear. The problem came when I test jumped someone else's main, in my rig, that was not setup with the proper pilot chute. My one, and only malfunction. (Knock on wood!)
On a side note, my daughter, who was only 11 at the time, packed my main for probably 100 of my jumps. I taught her how and never had a problem with my own gear. The problem came when I test jumped someone else's main, in my rig, that was not setup with the proper pilot chute. My one, and only malfunction. (Knock on wood!)
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They're not military parachutists in the term you're thinking of. These are free fall rigs, not military static line parachuting rigs. It is actually fairly common to use civilians as well. Unlike static line parachuting operations that have a much longer buildup time, you can make a dozen free fall jumps in a day. The Soldiers are qualified to pack their own parachutes, and there are military riggers to pack as well, but some units employ civilians who are also certified. For instance, the Golden Knights employs civilian riggers for their parachutes.
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