TYPICAL PARACHUTE MALFUNCTION APPEARANCE
AND CORRECTIVE PROCEDURES

Malfunctions are usually classified in parachute instructional materials by urgency or response time criticality. The classifications are usually given as categories ranging from Total, to High Speed Partial, to finally Low Speed Partial malfunctions.

Note, the images in the following links were captured directly from STI's Parachute Flight Training Simulator. They are shown here at a smaller size to load faster, and combined to show underneath and side views. They actually seen in the simulator in 640x480 resolution at 30 frames per second.

In High Speed Partial malfunctions, very little of the canopy deploys, so vertical acceleration to high speed is also rapid. There's a bit more time but not much. Some of these problems include Bag Lock, Streamer and Snivel.

Low Speed Partial malfunctions may have a fair amount of parachute deployed to complete opening so there is considerably more time to assess and deal with the problem. Some of these problems include Hung Slider, Tension Line Knots, Closed End Cells, Line Over, Line Twists, Broken Lines, and Broken Control Lines(see discussion later).

NOTES ON MALFUNCTION TYPES

This is just a sample of the malfunction procedures topics available with the Systems Technology Parachute Simulator. For example, construction differences lead to some differences in malfunction types between ramair and round parachutes. As shown above, ramair parachutes have slider panels to slow opening shock, but which can hang up and cells (tubes) which can fail to self-inflate. Emergency round parachute systems, such as the C-9 4 line release and 6.5 m LeMoine slotted NACES parachutes do not have reserve parachutes and so while cutaway/reserve activation is not a procedure option for these, practice and mastery is even more critical.

One very basic simulator training assumption is that all reserve deployments are successful. Students typically have enough fear factor interfering with their thought processes, and the schools want to encourage them to cutaway and deploy the reserve if the situation merits this.

Some very important malfunctions, such as floating ripcords, hard pull, premature brake release, and broken control lines involve simulator harness physical settings (rigging), and can also be taught in the current simulator if equipped with a hanging harness.

Back to the Parachute Malfunctions Simulation Training page.

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