If a fabric cut extends into a seam, what is the recommended repair approach?

• A. Stop, evaluate, replace damaged panel or patch with reinforcement and bartacks, ensuring seam integrity and load path.
• B. Ignore minor cuts and continue.
• C. Patch with reinforcement but no bartacks.
• D. Replace entire parachute.

Answer: (A)

When a fabric cut extends into a seam, the seam must be restored so the load path through the parachute remains continuous and capable of withstanding deployment stresses. The best repair stops to assess the damage and then either replaces the damaged panel or patches over the cut with reinforced fabric, securing the repair with bartacks. This combination reestablishes the seam’s strength and keeps the patch from peeling or ripping, because bartacks provide a dense, locking end to resist pull-out at the ends of the repair. Ignoring the damage or patching without bartacks doesn’t restore the seam’s load-carrying capability and can lead to failure under load, while replacing the entire parachute is unnecessary for a localized seam cut.