The 8-Way

[Dwain]

Basically I take full responsibility for Brian’s participation on the 8-way. If I had to (that is, when I have to) make a future call in a similar set of circumstances then I’d make the same call.

I believe that the 8-way are Brian’s fatality are two separate incidents that are not related (ie. The 8-way did not contribute to the p/c malfunction).

I am not posting this as a justification for placing Brian on the 8-way. I am posting this as a means of education in regards organizing big ways on BASE jumps. It is unfortunate that a fatality occurred on the example given here. There are many other multi ways that I have organized or participated in which had similarities in regards to experience levels (including the 24-way from Kjerag and the infamous 11-way from the "High Point" in Australia).

As always in BASE there are generalized rules which work very well (eg. Don’t allow low experienced people on big ways or don’t jump walls when it is windy), however there are also times when the combination of many factors make some of those generalized rules obsolete. The ability to make the decision to decide when the generalized rules do not apply comes from extensive experience in that realm.

I believe allowing somebody with Brian’s experience level (which was more than 12 BASE jumps) is perfectly acceptable from an object with zero object strike potential provided certain parameters are met. Basically the parameters are that the low-experienced person can in no way interfere with the other jumpers (in freefall or under canopy), and in turn, that the other jumpers can in no way interfere with the low-experienced person, regardless of how badly the planned delays or exit order are made.

Brian was placed in a position on the 8-way so that when he exited (early or late), or the delay he did, was of zero consequence to the other jumpers in freefall or under canopy. In multi way terms he was basically doing a solo.
I had observed Brian jumping his round over two days many times. He would consistently take about a 2 second delay. He showed excellent body position in freefall and control of his round canopy. His allocated delay for the 8-way was 2 seconds but it didn’t really matter what he did.
On either side of Brian the two most experienced jumpers on the load were placed (myself and RL with almost 600 BASE jumps and lots of big-way experience). Both RL and myself were also jumping rounds with maximum delays allocated. Given the glide ratios of round canopies and horizontal separation, there was no way a canopy collision could have occurred regardless what Brian did.
With the exception of Brian, I knew everybody else on the load very well. I knew their strengths and weaknesses in regards to BASE and had jumped on many multi-ways with them in the past. A few of the jumpers on this load had previously participated in an 8-way and 10-way from the Perrine. Nobody voiced any objection to Brian’s participation given that he was jumping a round.

The spread on the 8-way was as follows (from left to right facing the bridge if you were a spectator at the bottom). The horizontal spread was as large as I could make it given the flight plan. Jumper #1 and #2 exited over land. The rest exited over water. Jumpers #1, 2 and 4 were the only people landing on land (to minimize flight congestion).

Jumper #1 (200+ BASE jumps): Square canopy slider down. Delay: Go ‘n throw.
Jumper #2 (450+ BASE jumps): Square canopy slider down. Delay: 3 seconds.
Jumper #3 (120+ BASE jumps): Square canopy slider up (packed for a snivel). Delay 3.5 seconds.
Jumper #4 (150 BASE jumps): Square canopy slider down. Delay 1.5 seconds.
Jumper #5 (500 BASE jumps): Round canopy. Delay: Deck
Jumper #6 RL (almost 600 BASE jumps): Round canopy. Delay: Deck.
Jumper #7 Brian (around 20 BASE jumps): Round canopy: Delay: 2 seconds.
Jumper #8 Myself (1000+ BASE jumps). Round canopy. Delay: Deck

The most critical positions on the 8-way were jumper #2 and #4. My knowledge of their abilities gave me faith that they would do the delay they were allocated. I spent extra time with them prior to the jump discussing their delays. However given their horizontal separation we all felt a canopy collision would be easy to avoid if indeed they botched their delays and had off-headings towards each other.
As with all multi-ways the flight plan was extensively discussed as well as contingencies if something went wrong on the exit (eg. If somebody with a shorter delay next to you exited early, then abort your jump). The timing of the exit was planned many times before the jump.
I then placed each jumper on the bridge and once again asked them the following questions (these are standard questions to ask at the exit point on big ways):

“Are you OK jumping from this location?”
“Are you OK with your delay?”
“Are you OK with the people jumping next to you, their planned delay, their equipment configuration and their horizontal distance from you?”
“Do you have any other concerns?”

The trick here when organizing big ways is to pick up on the vibe of each person before the jump and to spot any potential dangers. You need to have total confidence that everyone will do their job.
On this load everyone did indeed seem confident and in a good frame of mind.
I spent the most time with Brian. He seemed confident, in a good frame of mind and focused. I told RL privately to keep an eye on Brian to make sure he didn’t exit early and if he did that RL should consider aborting his jump (although given the horizontal distance and equipment configurations I didn’t see a problem developing regardless).
On exit Brian left a little late (maybe half a second) which was fine. His delay was somewhere between 1.5 and 2 seconds. He deployed in a stable body position and the p/c hit bridal stretch without delay. On video the pc shows no evidence of ever being in, or effected by his burble (in my own personal opinion).

In regards to the pc malfunction, that is a separate topic. I am not responsible for providing the incident report on this (although I have assisted in the investigation). Anne Helliwell is in charge of this (on request from Brian’s father and the police) and only recently obtained all the equipment involved from the police. Given her rigging knowledge and previous extensive experience in investigating skydiving and BASE jumping fatalities, I can’t think of anybody else in the world more qualified. Anne is still waiting to obtain all evidence (including photo’s of the jump from different locations) before writing her final report. To report on the incident without first obtaining all evidence would be irresponsible and unprofessional. The delay in obtaining all the evidence is frustrating to everyone involved to say the least.
The frequency of jumpers “pointing the finger of blame” at others following a fatality is quiet annoying, given the common view point that as jumpers we take full responsibly for whatever happens to us when we decide to make a BASE jump.

If you wish to post constructive criticism in regards to the 8-way then please do. But please also state your experience in BASE jumping (number of jumps and number of objects) and your experience participating and organizing BASE big-ways in order to give some degree of credibility to your view point. Questions from anyone are most welcome.

[Surber]

When something goes wrong on a BASE jump, I have noticed the strong tendency for people to look for someone to blame. Often the victim is blamed, but when a mixture of experience levels is involved, the more experienced participants often feel the heat. The implicit assumption is that the victim was “talked into” or “permitted” to do something that they might decline if left to make their own decisions. Both these viewpoints are usually far off the mark of what really happened, and they fail to consider the way people usually advance in the sport.

The truth we don’t often confront directly is that BASE jumping is extremely hazardous. Even if you do everything properly, you can still get hurt. Each jump has a number of critical variables that you can influence, but not absolutely control. And, no human performs in a totally consistent manner. Each time you leave the edge, you are betting your life that your jump environment, your equipment, and your performance will add up to a winning result. And, if things aren’t looking good, you’ll have only seconds to work on a different outcome. I know I’m not alone in occasionally having a weird experience in one of these three departments. Better management of the variables is one benefit of experience, but you are constantly stalked by the threat of a random event. When jumpers do the same thing for many jumps and get similar results, they tend to look at their consistency as a constant. However, every jumper I know has had their consistency interrupted at least once by an event that seemed completely random. It is the nature of humans to believe that whatever has been happening, will continue to happen. And, it is the nature of BASE jumping to give you a 180 opening after 200 good ones. You can do everything right on a BASE jump and still have a bad outcome. The nature of random events is that you never know where, when, or how bad. Unfortunately, BASE jumping has a significant number of random events.

The alleged “pressure” or “permission” experienced by novice BASE jumpers is often discussed after an accident. I won’t deny that these are valid topics of discussion, but in reality, most jumpers want to gradually advance to more challenging objects and situations. The fact that Brian was able to participate in a group exit with guidance from experienced jumpers is no doubt exactly what he wanted. Dwain made three important points 1) he had been observing Brian for several days and seen consistent, safe performances, 2) Brian was not asked to do anything new for the jump – just repeat the jump he had been making for days, and 3) Brian was placed in a position on the multi-way where his performance was irrelevant to the safety of other jumpers. An 8-way may sound dramatic, but when the full details of Brian’s slot are examined, it is clear all he had to do was have a good time doing the same jump he had already practiced several times.

Each time I’ve learned the “inside story” about a novice’s mishap while jumping with experienced individuals two elements have consistently emerged. The novice was always observed to be safe and consistent several days prior to the accident. And, they were independently motivated to participate by their own personal desires. In essence, they looked like they were ready, and they wanted to go. The BASE community has no arbitrary rules, or enforcement powers, so when someone says they are ready to go, then by definition, they are ready to go! I personally think that trying new things under the observation of very experienced jumpers is a great idea. What does scare me is the number of 30 jump wonders teaching their friends how to BASE jump.

My rant ends with a salute to Dwain, Anne and the other investigators. Understanding how something was planned (what could possibly go wrong?) can be more important than understanding what happened. Dwain’s detailed account should silence the critics of Brian’s last jump and serve as a model for the kind of concern that novice jumpers should be accorded. Brian’s parachute did not extract in time. But the jump was competently planned, and Brian was not endangered by his lack of experience or proximity to other jumpers. He participated in a classic learning event with more experienced jumpers and no doubt looked forward to the jump. The investigation of Brian’s loss is being conducted by the right people, in a more thorough manner than any in memory. Give them your patience and support.

[Tokemon]

Dwain,
I have 88 jumps, and am looking to make that more. anything you can share will help.
i heard of a possible 6 foot bridal. is this at all close to truth. I recently replaced velcro, that may require more snatch force than normal. if that matters, please say something.
if it was just one of those things, I guess I am choosing to accept it won't happen to me next. which is a ppersonal choice.
but, IF there is anything I can do to modify my system different than Bryan's, let me know.
until then, I assume my sh1t is safe.
Thomas:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)