10 Survivors of Skydiving Accidents and Their Stories
When You Jump From an Airplane and Your Parachute Fails
Skydiving is a fun adventure and extreme sport enjoyed by millions of people the world over every single year, one that’s a draw for adrenaline junkies looking for their next big rush, one that involves jumping from a moving airplane. Whether it’s the rush of the initial jump, never knowing for absolute certain if your parachute is going to open, or the unadulterated free-fall as you plunge toward the earth from 3,048 meters (10,000 feet) or more feet at 193 kilometers per hour (120 miles per hour), the sport draws a huge crowd of participants who want to enjoy the fear of falling, up close and personal.
When a person jumps from an airplane or any other high surface, they accelerate faster and faster toward the ground as the gravitational pull of the earth’s surface pulls them towards it, until they hit terminal velocity, the point where the body has topped out on its maximum speed of traveling through the air, usually at around 56–76 meters per second, or 184–250 feet, every single second. Imagine, barreling through the air at that speed. For some, it’s a nightmare; for others, it’s a rush.
But sometimes this rush, even for the most seasoned veterans of the industry, turns into a terrifying experience when the…
