{"id":19414,"date":"2017-11-03T18:53:07","date_gmt":"2017-11-03T18:53:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/skydiveperris.com\/?p=19414"},"modified":"2024-12-05T15:57:56","modified_gmt":"2024-12-05T23:57:56","slug":"happens-parachute-fails-open-skydive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/skydiveperris.com\/blog\/happens-parachute-fails-open-skydive\/","title":{"rendered":"What Happens If A Parachute Doesn’t Open?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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At this point, you\u2019ve probably watched enough skydiving videos to witness dozens of parachutes blossom open against the big, blue sky. Over and over again, you hear that signature snap, and a bright nylon rectangle appears, lowering the jumper safely to the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But \u2013 in this current age of sensationalism \u2013 you\u2019ve probably also seen plenty of jump videos that feature a skydiving malfunction (or what people seem to think about a parachute not opening). And those are the ones that stick in your mind. Especially if you\u2019re scheduled to make your own skydive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what happens if the parachute doesn\u2019t open? Or worse, what happens if both parachutes fail??<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The truth of the matter is, a skydiving cutaway is a rare event<\/strong>. According to the USPA<\/a> (which collects and publishes skydiving accident statistics), about one in every 1,000 parachutes will experience a malfunction that requires the use of the reserve parachute. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Line over malfunction on a square parachute.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If that statistic has you clutching the ground for dear life, wait just a second. First off: a ratio of 1:1000 is ridiculously rare in terms of the real world. Secondly: even if your parachute actually does fail to open into that familiar flyable configuration, you\u2019re still<\/em> almost certainly going to be fine. 
Of course, skydiving does<\/em> carry risk; you know that already. What you might not know is all of the resources skydivers have to mitigate that risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Happens If A Parachute Doesn’t Open?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Is it possible to survive if the parachute doesn’t open? Not only is it possible, it\u2019s extremely likely! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, let\u2019s clear something up \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The phrase that almost always gets tossed around when you hear about a skydiving accident on the news is that the skydiver\u2019s parachute \u201cfailed to open.\u201d In reality, it\u2019s practically statistically impossible<\/em> that the parachute actually<\/em> didn\u2019t open. That\u2019s the one thing a parachute is made to do<\/a>! <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What almost certainly did<\/em> happen is that the parachute opened, but wasn\u2019t safe to fly. When a parachute can\u2019t be safely controlled back to the ground, the jumper has to immediately follow a set of tried-and-true emergency procedures to fix the situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Every skydiving<\/a> parachute has a backup parachute waiting in the wings. If the main parachute turns out to be unsafe to fly, a quick pull of a handle located on the right side of the skydiver\u2019s chest disconnects the malfunctioning nylon \u2013 we call it the \u2018cutaway handle\u2019 (hence the 2000 movie<\/a> title). A handle on the left side (the \u2018reserve handle\u2019) deploys the carefully packed reserve parachute to take the place of the main that didn\u2019t feel like doing its job<\/a> that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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