Deadly mistake during winching

Never use any thing you find on the trail for recovery like old ropes or anchor point. On one of our 4x4 trip in Endau Rompin(Johor Malaysia) we made this unforgivable mistake. Even though I am very sure we had enough recovery straps and winch ropes, somehow the old rope was lying there readily and handy for usage. 

The rope survived three recovery action but on the fourth, disaster happened, the rope gave way and slingshot the tow hook back towards the driver's face. Fortunately we escaped with just a broken windshield and no one was injured. We had heard many stories of such but encountering one was the first time. According to the driver the hook missed his face just by a few inches. Everyone was pretty spooked and now we do not take any recovery for granted. 

       

The victim vehicle a Toyota Landcruiser 40, equipped with a front mount PTO winch with steel line and a swivel hook. Everything looks like a recipe for disaster. Many of us already had been using synthetic winch rope those had not are already looking to change. Real synthetic rope is not elastic and when snapped will not create any catapult effect so they are now the number one choice for winch line nowadays. Some of us even replaced the metal hook or  

shackle with a soft shackle made with synthetic rope like the Bubba  Rope Gator-Jaw.

Never be complacent about safety, do the right and safe way.