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Man survives 15,000ft fall after parachute fails

By T.K. Randall
July 13, 2021 · Comment icon 9 comments

This is why most people will never go skydiving. Image Credit: YouTube / nrk / Anders Helstrup
A paratrooper has miraculously survived after his parachute failed to open correctly during a jump.
For anyone who has ever contemplated undertaking a parachute jump, the prospect of the parachute failing to open is typically the number one concern.

While such an occurrence is rare, it can and does happen - often with devastating consequences.

In this particular case however, the unfortunate parachutist actually made it home alive.

The British paratrooper, whose name has not been disclosed, had jumped from a plane during a High Altitude Low Opening (Halo) exercise over California when he lost control and his parachute failed to open correctly.
After plummeting 15,000ft he landed on a house, smashed through the roof and ended up in the owner's kitchen with nothing but a few minor injuries to show for his ordeal.

"[He] came through the roof, through the tresses and there's not that much damage in the house," said the homeowner's mother.

"It's amazing. It's mostly the ceiling, the sheetrock. He missed the counters, appliances, everything."

Local police later confirmed that he was "conscious but stunned with complaints of pain but no visible serious injuries."

He has since been taken to hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

Source: MSN.com | Comments (9)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by Manwon Lender 3 years ago
That's an amazing story, one in a million to be honest. However, the reason he survived was because he didn't have a complete parachute failure. Like the article stated he wasn't falling straight down ( Roman Candle style), he was spiraling down so his  parachute was still slowing his decent. But man that guy was so lucky, I also bet the huge pile of crap in his pants also aided in giving him a softer landing!! I am a little surprised he didn't try to release his main parachute by cutting or releasing the connecting cords, so that he could deploy his reserve parachute, but there could ... [More]
Comment icon #2 Posted by ted hughes 3 years ago
Interesting story, but a bit of a misleading headline. Nothing will beat this (very sad) story for a free-fall: As a teenager in 1971, Koepcke was the sole survivor of the LANSA Flight 508 plane crash, then survived ten days alone in the Amazon rainforest. She survived a fall of 3,000 meters (9,843 feet), still strapped to her seat.( LANSA Flight 508 - Wikipedia ). Also, I smiled when the report said the special forces soldier didn't give his name: The soldier, who was not immediately named ...No, you won't get his name, or where he lives.
Comment icon #3 Posted by and then 3 years ago
SAS my ass... dude HAD TO BE A GURKHA, as well     Seriously though, amazing story.  I read a similar kind of survival miracle in a Reader's Digest back in the 70s.  A Navy fighter pilot was mid-air tanking and the seal blew, causing a fire.  He ejected about 2 miles up and his seat chute never opened nor did his seat fall away.  He hit the ocean and was unconscious but his life raft inflated UNDER his seat.  He then floated around for a couple of days in choppy sea conditions before being spotted by a search aircraft.  THAT bit of luck was just as impressive as the raft inflating. ... [More]
Comment icon #4 Posted by ted hughes 3 years ago
If it was HALO, wouldn't it be unlikely to be other than special forces? Not British, necessarily.
Comment icon #5 Posted by Manwon Lender 3 years ago
A bit of a side note, the first time the Halo technique was used for combat was during the Vietnam War in Laos by members of MACV-SOG Recon Team Florida. SEAL Teams of the United States Navy expanded the HALO technique to include delivery of boats and other large items. MACV-SOG was the forunner of Special Operations Units we have today, but because of the classified nature of their missions and the fact we lost the Vietnam War they are not at all we'll know. Oh and by the way, most Halo Jumps are from 27,000 feet or higher. Take Care. 
Comment icon #6 Posted by Buzz_Light_Year 3 years ago
Served with a Major in the Marines that had a parachute mishap at Fort Benning jump school. He jumped at 1200 feet and his main chute didn't deploy so he activated his reserve chute and it got tangled in his main chute. The jump broke both of his hips and drove his legs into his guts and the doctors told him he'd never walk again. Not only did he walk again but he'd go and run 3 miles a couple of times a week while wearing a flak jacket. But he was old breed had a Korean War Service Medal and came up through the ranks as a mustanger. He told me the only reason he survived the jump was that the... [More]
Comment icon #7 Posted by 'Walt' E. Kurtz 3 years ago
it's was a Hello jump he popped in for a cuppa !!
Comment icon #8 Posted by Tom1200 3 years ago
British.  Obvious, really.  We're a tough bunch.  I can imagine the conversation in the house: British paratrooper: "I say, most terribly sorry to drop in unannounced.  Very rude of me - I must have given you a fright!  How are you?  You look shaken - can I make you a nice cup of tea?  Then I'll sweep up this mess and repair that hole in your roof." American housewife:  "Aaarrrgghh! Intruder!"  BANG.
Comment icon #9 Posted by Wepwawet 3 years ago
A humerous British take on this in a barrack room song. Warning, no rude words, but the lyrics are not for "delicate nice people"  


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