According to most sources, fatalities end (on average) in about 30 out of 100,000 jumps.

You are more likely to die in a car accident than during a jump.

I want to tell you about the survivors after an accident during a parachute jump.

Daniel Farr

Imagine this situation and decide whether it is really worth doing your first joint jump (in which you are attached to another person, usually an experienced skydiver, with your parachute) with an instructor who can die in the air. Daniel Farr is a US Army soldier who specializes in military intelligence. His girlfriend gave him a skydiving ticket as a Christmas present. Farr's tandem partner was a man named George "Chip" Steele, an accomplished skydiver with over 8,000 jumps to his credit. He jumped out of the plane, was in free fall for a while, and then opened the parachute, as expected.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly until it went to hell. Farr noticed that Chip did not react in any way to his questions or actions (in fact, the absence of any actions) regarding approaching the ground. Although the military did not give young Farr any professional parachute training, they taught him to remain calm in extreme conditions. Farr, finding himself in this situation, took control of the parachute - just like he saw on TV, of course - and he managed to maneuver pretty well, avoiding the approaching trees, and eventually landing safely near the assigned landing zone. Farr then unsuccessfully performed CPR on Chip. The coroner later stated that Chip suffered a heart attack.

However, one painful experience was not enough to discourage Mr. Farr from jumping. He expressed a desire to jump again, despite the protests of his parents.

Dave Hajman (and a guy named Frank)

This incident took place in 1985 in Australia, in the state of Victoria. Mr. Hajman jumped from a height of about 12,000 feet (approximately 3,500 meters) as one of the members of the skydiver formation. Things didn't go according to plan when Hajman inadvertently opened his parachute while directly above another skydiver (it was a guy named Frank). Frank didn't see Hajman either, and opened his parachute at about the same moment Hajman did. Two skydivers were trying to occupy the same space at the same time. As a result, Dave fell right on top of Frank.

A strong blow knocked Frank unconscious and tangled the lines of both deployed parachutes. Frank's parachute remained open and filled with air, while Hudgeman's parachute released air and curled up - the men were tightly bound. Also, since, in effect, one parachute now had to support the weight of two men, they were falling faster than they would like in a similar situation, eventually crashing into a crowded car park - surprisingly, they landed right between several parked cars. And they survived.

Hadjman sustained fairly extensive injuries, while Frank emerged from the mess relatively unscathed. To his credit, Hadjman returned to skydiving from perfectly functioning aircraft as soon as his wounds healed.

James Bull

Mr Buhl is a TV reporter who specializes in filming (and participating in) skydiving and base jumping. Base jumping, for those not familiar with the term, is the sport of jumping from immovable objects (such as mountains and bridges) and waiting for the last possible second for the parachute to open. Dangerous thing.

During one of these shootings, Mr. Buhl got into trouble. Buhl and his partners performed the jump for filming documentary film in Russia. Buhl, concentrating on filming, relied on his broadcasting partner as they approached the ground and had to deploy their parachute. Communication problems prevented this, and instead of opening the parachute, Buhl met with snow-covered ground. A fall from a height of two thousand meters at a speed far exceeding 100 miles per hour usually means a terrible end. However, the Briton crashed, apparently, into a snowdrift in the middle of a rocky area. Buhl suffered a broken back and ribs, but was otherwise not so badly battered. This incident, ironically, was caught on film.

Laris Butler

A parachute malfunction can happen in any country. A young South African woman named Laris Butler experienced this first hand during what she thought was a normal skydive in 2010. The beginning of this story sounds the same as any other similar incident - the usual exit from the plane, followed by the usual, unremarkable free fall (of course, if you can call it "unremarkable" falling a stone to the ground).

However, what happened next forced Butler to resort to prayer as a last resort. First she tried to open the parachute. It didn't open. After several fruitless attempts, she attempted to do the same with her reserve parachute. But it didn't open either. One can only imagine the fear from which the blood runs cold, embracing a person at such a moment. Miss Butler said that her only focus was prayer. She recalls thinking, "Lord, please save me." God, as they say, hears and answers the prayers of believers. Hitting the ground from 3,000 feet left Ms. Butler with a broken leg and a concussion, but alive.

But here's what makes this story even more interesting: the girl says that she changed her mind about jumping when she was already standing in the door of the plane, but the instructor literally pushed her out of the plane, ignoring her protests. Butler describes how she was holding on to the door frame and the instructor had to push her several times to make her fall out of the plane. Isn't this against the law?

Hans Lang

Base jumping has already been mentioned in this article. Looks like waiting last second to open the parachute allows you to experience the greatest excitement. However, Mr. Lang got a bit more than his usual sense of euphoria during a base jumping trip that went awry in 2008. After jumping off a mountaintop in Norway, Lang learned what bad planning, audacity, and lack of wings combined can lead to. Simply put, this means problems for people jumping from mountains.

The height of the mountain from which Lang jumped is 1.5 kilometers. Lang flew at a speed of about 150 km / h next to a sheer cliff. What could go wrong? Realizing that he and the rock were too close to each other, Lang tried to open his parachute to fly away from her. Unfortunately, in this battle of man against the rock, the rock won. Lang hit rocks protruding from the rock several times, and his parachute lines became tangled, preventing him from slowing his fall. The flight ended with Lang on high speed fell on a tree at the foot of the mountain.

Not many people can say they survived a fall from a mountaintop, but Lange can. Lang not only survived, but of all possible problems, he suffered only because of a broken leg. Not bad, considering the circumstances. This incident, of course, did not deter Lang, who promised to return to BASE jumping as soon as he recovered from his injury. Oh yes, it was all caught on video, of course!

Gareth Griffiths

Mr Griffiths being professional player in rugby in his native UK, very familiar with the physical aspect of the sport. But this did nothing to prepare him for the tragedy that happened during his tandem parachute jump. Paired with experienced instructor Michael Costello (who turned out to be a representative from Massachusetts), Griffiths was about to perform a routine jump that had been successfully completed thousands of times before them.

However, on this day, things went completely wrong. After jumping out of the plane and briefly enjoying free fall, the instructor tried to open the parachute. For unknown reasons, the parachute opened incorrectly and the instructor did not have time to straighten it while both were flying to the ground. Costello's last effort saved Gareth's life: a few seconds before hitting the ground, he rolled over so that his body was between the ground and Griffiths. Gareth survived, but suffered a severe back injury. Doctors were shocked that Griffiths survived hitting the ground at such a tremendous speed - even with the efforts of Costello, who reduced the damage from the collision. own body. However, he survived, and Michael Costello's selfless sacrifice certainly played its part.

Laverne Everett

At the age of 80, Miss Everett had only one unfulfilled desire - she really wanted to jump with a parachute. With the growing popularity and availability of tandem jumping, Ms. Everett finally decided to ... take this step! Remember what happened in one of the previous stories? So, to her dismay, the same thing happened. Everett's resolve waned noticeably as she peered out the door and looked up at the open sky, her knees buckling. Her jump partner, whom Everett was tied to, gave her a little push towards the exit in an attempt to cheer her up, after which they jumped out of the plane.

Unfortunately, it turned out that Everett wasn't as securely attached to her partner as they thought. Almost immediately, Everett began to slip out of her bindings.

Remember that Everett did not have her own parachute, since only the instructor has one for such jumps. Partner Everett had to hold her with his hands so that she would not break on the ground. Even the cameraman who jumped with them to capture the jump on video tried to approach them to help, but to no avail. Everett could only hang on to his partner while he desperately tried to hold her.

Surprisingly, Everett, who seems to have nerves of steel, never even screamed during the flight. She later stated in an interview that she was not even particularly scared. The partner was able to hold her and they both landed safely. Everett received only a few bruises and abrasions from the landing. But she will have something to tell her grandchildren. And yes, it was all caught on camera.

Nicholas Alkemade

Incident with Nicholas Alkemaid, c technical point of view is not a skydiving incident, but it is damn exciting nonetheless. During the Second World War, this guy served in the Royal Air Force - was a member of the crew of a British bomber attacked by German fighters. Alkemeida's bomber was badly damaged: it caught fire and went out of control. There were two options: either to burn out inside the plane, or to die when the plane collided with the ground.

Deciding that none of these options suited him, Alchemade decided to jump out of the plane without a parachute (it burned up in a fire!). The bomber was at an altitude of 5.5 thousand meters above the ground when Alkemaid made this ... important decision. He jumped out. The brave Briton flew through the snow-covered fir trees, which cushioned his fall, and fell into a deep snowdrift. The pilot reportedly escaped with only a sprained ankle and shock. After landing, he looked around and lit a cigarette. Even the Germans who captured Alkemeid were shocked by this story and issued him a document confirming the truth of what happened to him. That's it.

Shayna Richardson/West

Shayna Richardson (West by her husband) experienced something that no one should have experienced, especially on her first solo jump while pregnant. Unfortunately, the accident happened to this young girl from Joplin, Missouri. This story made so much noise in the media, not only because of the incredible fact that Shayna survived what she experienced, but also because she found out about her pregnancy in the hospital where she was taken after the incident.

Shane's story begins almost immediately after her plane jump. As soon as the girl opened her parachute, she went into a strong tailspin. Realizing that there were problems (whether it was due to faulty equipment or because of her inexperience is still debated among fellow skydivers). Sheina cut off the lines of her main parachute and deployed her reserve. It didn't help either, because her reserve parachute didn't work either (again, either due to the girl's inexperience or equipment malfunction). Shane continued to spin and fell at speeds in excess of 50 miles per hour into a nearby parking lot, face down.

Sheina broke her pelvis in two places, suffered a broken leg and lost several teeth. But most importantly, her unborn child, whom she did not know about at the time of the jump, remained unharmed (Shayna gave birth to a healthy boy in June of the following year). This accident was captured on video. After that, Shayna skydived again to prove to herself that she could still do it, but after that last jump, she gave up jumping. Finally someone has some common sense!

Like!

When Emma Carey jumped out of a plane at the age of 20, she had no idea that soon her life would change forever.

“I was so excited when I left my home in Canberra, Australia to go on a 3 month trip to Europe with a friend. I planned a whole list of all sorts of things, including skydiving in the Alps in Switzerland. I always wanted to do it there, so I couldn't wait to take off.

I'm an adrenaline junkie, so I wasn't nervous at all. I went first, jumping out of a plane with an instructor strapped to my back, and it was exhilarating. We were falling fast, but because I had never done this before, I couldn't figure out what was wrong.

After some time, I noticed that the parachute did not open, so I asked the instructor what was happening. I didn't get an answer, but the wind was deafening, so I thought he couldn't hear me. We continued to fall, descending at high speed, and there was still no sign of a parachute. "Why doesn't he answer me?" I thought. But turning around to look at the instructor, I realized that everything that was happening was terribly wrong.

As it turned out, both the normal and reserve parachutes were released from the pack at the same time and became entangled. At the same time, one of the cords wrapped around the instructor's neck and he lost consciousness from accidental strangulation.

I panicked. He obviously couldn't untangle the parachutes, and I couldn't do anything to save us, so we just kept falling, and really fast.

"I was sure that we would die soon"

I was sure that we would die soon. We were falling so fast: how can you survive anything like that? It seems obvious, but my only thought was "I really don't want to die." Until that moment, I had never valued my life. I just took it for granted.

We kept falling and it seemed like an eternity. We were falling at high speed, but I had so much time to think. And then we landed.

I fell to the ground first, with the instructor still strapped to my back, and the only thing I felt at first was shock. I survived. How did I survive? I felt so grateful that I'm still alive.

We landed in the middle of a field, a few meters from the concrete road - I was later told that, according to the paramedics, if we had landed on the road, both of us would definitely have died. My mouth was full of blood and my entire body was in the worst pain I have ever felt, but I knew I had to try to get help. The instructor was still on my back and I thought he was dead (although he also somehow survived), so I tried to roll over to pull him away from me. So I found that I couldn't move anything below my belly - not my legs, not my toes, not my abs - I couldn't even roll over.

I couldn’t move anything and didn’t feel anything - and the realization of this acted destructively. A minute ago I was perfectly fine, but now I was paralyzed and would probably never walk again. It was terrible. I remember feeling at that moment that I just wanted to die in an accident.

After a while, the friend who jumped after me landed with his instructor. They must have seen what happened and followed us down, after which they called an air ambulance and took me to the hospital.

“I told the doctors and nurses to kill me”

I had a broken pelvis and knocked out my teeth. My spine was broken in two places and I was injured spinal cord- that's why I couldn't move the lower half of my body, but I had almost no scratches on the outside.

I don't remember it because I was under the influence of strong painkillers at the time, but during my first week in the hospital I told the doctors and nurses to kill me. After my mother and sister arrived, the consultants told us that I was paralyzed and would hardly ever be able to walk again. I was beside myself, I did not know how to continue to live in a wheelchair.

When I stopped taking painkillers, my attitude began to change. I was still devastated, but at the same time, I thought, "This is something I need to deal with, I'll find a way to deal with it." I had no choice, I just had to do what I had to do and overcome all these difficulties.

After a month in a Swiss hospital, I was allowed to return with my relatives to Sydney, where I spent another three months in the spinal department of the hospital. Every day I did physical therapy to try to improve what little mobility I had, and gradually, very slowly, I began to see progress. Over the next year, I began lifting my feet, then my knees, and finally my legs. I couldn't believe it.

“I don’t know how or why I learned to walk again, it was a mixture of luck and determination”

I stayed positive, started moving around with a walker and everything went smoothly. Soon I was walking with two crutches, then only one, and one day, miraculously, with the physiotherapists behind me, I took my first steps on my own. Everyone in the department was watching me and we were just shocked. I don't know how or why I learned to walk again. I think it was a mixture of luck and determination.

However, the long-term consequences of my accident continue. I am limping because some of the muscles in my legs still don't work and I still don't feel anything below the level of the injury, so I don't have sensation in my legs and pelvis. I tire quickly, but the biggest change I've had to adjust to is my loss of bladder and bowel control. I have to use catheters to urinate because I can't bring myself to go to the toilet and I have a lot of these problems. It took a long time to get used to it, but now I'm used to it and it's just become the new normal.

All my friends and relatives know about it and I tell people about it quite a lot after meeting them, spending about 5 minutes on it. If I were embarrassed by this, I can’t imagine how hard it would be for me to live from day to day - after all, I can urinate under myself 10 times a day. I've never been ashamed of it, it's just something I have to live with, so I started talking openly about it online and the response I got was amazing. People with the same issues got a chance to say thank you because they used to be embarrassed about it, but now they want to try and tell some of their friends about it because they really have nothing to hide.

As far as relationships with men, it's definitely hard for someone new to adjust. I am very different from the average 24-year-old girl: I get very sick, I stay in the hospital a lot, I can’t do many things that others want to do, so it can be more difficult for people to adapt to this. But I haven't considered dating yet. I feel like I'm very focused on myself right now.

"I lost a body that worked the way I wanted it to work"

During the first year after my accident, I behaved really positively, but there were also a few failures. When you really sink into the fact that the injury will be permanent, that it will be with you all your life, it's hard. I wouldn't say I was depressed, but it struck me how real it all was, and all the emotions that I was probably supposed to feel for a whole year just washed over me at once. I lost a body that worked the way I wanted it to work, and I lost the feeling of being in my 20s - I felt so old.

Over the past four years, I've had to grow up fast. My original plan was to take a big vacation in Europe and then come back home, go to university and get a job. But when I returned, everything changed: I could not work, my whole life revolved around recovery, physical therapy and recovery, and besides, I lost many friends. It sucked, but in hindsight it was good to see who would be there for you in your time of need and who wouldn't.

Despite everything that has happened, my parachute accident has produced many positive results. I am able to travel again to complete the trip I could not complete last time, and my beliefs and my view of the world have completely changed. I appreciate everything much more.

One of the main things that has changed is my view of my body. I used to think of it as an object, as something that has only appearance, but now I'm thinking about how my legs can take me from place to place, and how my hands allow me to write and draw. I think about what our bodies do for us, not just how they look.

I don't really let the little things bother me anymore. I feel much calmer and happier and everything seems much clearer, as if nothing else matters.

I remember my thoughts in the hospital about the choice: either I could be stuck in all those things that I lost - that I can no longer run or feel my legs, or I could just think about everything that I still have. I still have hands, I still have vision. I can still do so much and I'm incredibly lucky considering I could have lost my life so easily."

Like!

According to most sources, fatalities end (on average) in about 30 out of 100,000 jumps.
You are more likely to die in a car accident than during a jump.
I want to tell you about the survivors after an accident during a parachute jump.

Daniel Farr

Imagine this situation and decide whether it is really worth doing your first joint jump (in which you are attached to another person, usually an experienced skydiver, with your parachute) with an instructor who can die in the air. Daniel Farr is a US Army soldier specializing in military intelligence. His girlfriend gave him a skydiving ticket as a Christmas present. Farr's tandem partner was a man named George "Chip" Steele, an accomplished skydiver with over 8,000 jumps to his credit. He jumped out of the plane, was in free fall for a while, and then opened the parachute, as expected.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly until it went to hell. Farr noticed that Chip did not react in any way to his questions or actions (in fact, the absence of any actions) regarding approaching the ground. Although the military did not give young Farr any professional parachute training, they taught him to remain calm in extreme conditions. Farr, finding himself in this situation, took control of the parachute - just like he saw on TV, of course - and he managed to maneuver pretty well, avoiding the approaching trees, and eventually landing safely near the assigned landing zone. Farr then unsuccessfully performed CPR on Chip. The coroner later stated that Chip suffered a heart attack.
However, one painful experience was not enough to discourage Mr. Farr from jumping. He expressed a desire to jump again, despite the protests of his parents.

Dave Hajman (and a guy named Frank)

This incident took place in 1985 in Australia, in the state of Victoria. Mr. Hajman jumped from a height of about 12,000 feet (approximately 3,500 meters) as one of the members of the skydiver formation. Things didn't go according to plan when Hajman inadvertently opened his parachute while directly above another skydiver (it was a guy named Frank). Frank didn't see Hajman either, and opened his parachute at about the same moment Hajman did. Two skydivers were trying to occupy the same space at the same time. As a result, Dave fell right on top of Frank.
A strong blow knocked Frank unconscious and tangled the lines of both deployed parachutes. Frank's parachute remained open and filled with air, while Hudgeman's parachute released air and curled up - the men were tightly bound. Also, since, in effect, one parachute now had to support the weight of two men, they were falling faster than they would like in a similar situation, eventually crashing into a crowded car park - surprisingly, they landed right between several parked cars. And they survived.
Hadjman sustained fairly extensive injuries, while Frank emerged from the mess relatively unscathed. To his credit, Hadjman returned to skydiving from perfectly functioning aircraft as soon as his wounds healed.

James Bull

Mr Buhl is a TV reporter who specializes in filming (and participating in) skydiving and base jumping. Base jumping, for those not familiar with the term, is the sport of jumping from immovable objects (such as mountains and bridges) and waiting for the last possible second for the parachute to open. Dangerous thing.
During one of these shootings, Mr. Buhl got into trouble. Buhl and his partners performed the jump for the filming of a documentary film in Russia. Buhl, concentrating on filming, relied on his broadcasting partner as they approached the ground and had to deploy their parachute. Communication problems prevented this, and instead of opening the parachute, Buhl met with snow-covered ground. A fall from a height of two thousand meters at a speed far exceeding 100 miles per hour usually means a terrible end. However, the Briton crashed, apparently, into a snowdrift in the middle of a rocky area. Buhl suffered a broken back and ribs, but was otherwise not so badly battered. This incident, ironically, was caught on film.

Laris Butler

A parachute malfunction can happen in any country. A young South African woman named Laris Butler experienced this first hand during what she thought was a normal skydive in 2010. The beginning of this story sounds the same as any other similar incident - the usual exit from the plane, followed by the usual, unremarkable free fall (of course, if you can call it "unremarkable" falling a stone to the ground).
However, what happened next forced Butler to resort to prayer as a last resort. First she tried to open the parachute. It didn't open. After several fruitless attempts, she attempted to do the same with her reserve parachute. But it didn't open either. One can only imagine the fear from which the blood runs cold, embracing a person at such a moment. Miss Butler said that her only focus was prayer. She recalls thinking, "Lord, please save me." God, as they say, hears and answers the prayers of believers. Hitting the ground from 3,000 feet left Ms. Butler with a broken leg and a concussion, but alive.
But here's what makes this story even more interesting: the girl says that she changed her mind about jumping when she was already standing in the door of the plane, but the instructor literally pushed her out of the plane, ignoring her protests. Butler describes how she was holding on to the door frame and the instructor had to push her several times to make her fall out of the plane. Isn't this against the law?

Hans Lang

Base jumping has already been mentioned in this article. It seems that waiting for the last second to open your parachute is what gives you the most excitement. However, Mr. Lang got a bit more than his usual sense of euphoria during a base jumping trip that went awry in 2008. After jumping off a mountaintop in Norway, Lang learned what bad planning, audacity, and lack of wings combined can lead to. Simply put, this means problems for people jumping from mountains.
The height of the mountain from which Lang jumped is 1.5 kilometers. Lang flew at a speed of about 150 km / h next to a sheer cliff. What could go wrong? Realizing that he and the rock were too close to each other, Lang tried to open his parachute to fly away from her. Unfortunately, in this battle of man against the rock, the rock won. Lang hit rocks protruding from the rock several times, and his parachute lines became tangled, preventing him from slowing his fall. The flight ended with Lang falling at high speed into a tree standing at the foot of the mountain.
Not many people can say they survived a fall from a mountaintop, but Lange can. Lang not only survived, but of all possible problems, he suffered only because of a broken leg. Not bad, considering the circumstances. This incident, of course, did not deter Lang, who promised to return to BASE jumping as soon as he recovered from his injury. Oh yes, it was all caught on video, of course!

Gareth Griffiths

Mr Griffiths, being a professional rugby player in his native UK, is intimately familiar with the physical aspect of the sport. But this did nothing to prepare him for the tragedy that happened during his tandem parachute jump. Paired with experienced instructor Michael Costello (who turned out to be a representative from Massachusetts), Griffiths was about to perform a routine jump that had been successfully completed thousands of times before them.
However, on this day, things went completely wrong. After jumping out of the plane and briefly enjoying free fall, the instructor tried to open the parachute. For unknown reasons, the parachute opened incorrectly and the instructor did not have time to straighten it while both were flying to the ground. Costello's last effort saved Gareth's life: a few seconds before hitting the ground, he rolled over so that his body was between the ground and Griffiths. Gareth survived, but suffered a severe back injury. Doctors were shocked that Griffiths survived hitting the ground at such tremendous speed - even with the efforts of Costello, who reduced the damage from the collision with his own body. However, he survived, and Michael Costello's selfless sacrifice certainly played its part.

Laverne Everett

At the age of 80, Miss Everett had only one unfulfilled desire - she really wanted to jump with a parachute. With the growing popularity and availability of tandem jumping, Ms. Everett finally decided to ... take this step! Remember what happened in one of the previous stories? So, to her dismay, the same thing happened. Everett's resolve waned noticeably as she peered out the door and looked up at the open sky, her knees buckling. Her jump partner, whom Everett was tied to, gave her a little push towards the exit in an attempt to cheer her up, after which they jumped out of the plane.
Unfortunately, it turned out that Everett wasn't as securely attached to her partner as they thought. Almost immediately, Everett began to slip out of her bindings.
Remember that Everett did not have her own parachute, since only the instructor has one for such jumps. Partner Everett had to hold her with his hands so that she would not break on the ground. Even the cameraman who jumped with them to capture the jump on video tried to approach them to help, but to no avail. Everett could only hang on to his partner while he desperately tried to hold her.
Surprisingly, Everett, who seems to have nerves of steel, never even screamed during the flight. She later stated in an interview that she was not even particularly scared. The partner was able to hold her and they both landed safely. Everett received only a few bruises and abrasions from the landing. But she will have something to tell her grandchildren. And yes, it was all caught on camera.

Nicholas Alkemade

The Nicholas Alkemaid incident is technically not a skydiving incident, but it's pretty damn exciting nonetheless. During the Second World War, this guy served in the Royal Air Force - he was a member of the crew of a British bomber attacked by German fighters. Alkemeida's bomber was badly damaged: it caught fire and went out of control. There were two options: either to burn out inside the plane, or to die when the plane collided with the ground.
Deciding that none of these options suited him, Alchemade decided to jump out of the plane without a parachute (it burned up in a fire!). The bomber was at an altitude of 5.5 thousand meters above the ground when Alkemaid made this ... important decision. He jumped out. The brave Briton flew through the snow-covered fir trees, which cushioned his fall, and fell into a deep snowdrift. The pilot reportedly escaped with only a sprained ankle and shock. After landing, he looked around and lit a cigarette. Even the Germans who captured Alkemeid were shocked by this story and issued him a document confirming the truth of what happened to him. That's it.

Shayna Richardson/West

Shayna Richardson (West by her husband) experienced something that no one should have experienced, especially on her first solo jump while pregnant. Unfortunately, the accident happened to this young girl from Joplin, Missouri. This story made so much noise in the media, not only because of the incredible fact that Shayna survived what she experienced, but also because she found out about her pregnancy in the hospital where she was taken after the incident.
Shane's story begins almost immediately after her plane jump. As soon as the girl opened her parachute, she went into a strong tailspin. Realizing that there were problems (whether it was due to faulty equipment or because of her inexperience is still debated among fellow skydivers). Sheina cut off the lines of her main parachute and deployed her reserve. It didn't help either, because her reserve parachute didn't work either (again, either due to the girl's inexperience or equipment malfunction). Shane continued to spin and fell at speeds in excess of 50 miles per hour into a nearby parking lot, face down.
Sheina broke her pelvis in two places, suffered a broken leg and lost several teeth. But most importantly, her unborn child, whom she did not know about at the time of the jump, remained unharmed (Shayna gave birth to a healthy boy in June of the following year). This accident was captured on video. After that, Shayna skydived again to prove to herself that she could still do it, but after that last jump, she gave up jumping. Finally someone has some common sense!

Skydiving is an extreme discipline associated with increased danger to health and life. Before taking off and skydiving, a person will be asked to sign a paper about the voluntary nature of the jump and the absence of claims against the organizers in case of any trouble. And this is not an easy formality.

Probability of an accident

Information about skydiving-related deaths is not public. In the public domain, you can find data for the period 1998-2005, published by the Russian Federal Administration for Aerospace Search and Rescue. In accordance with the statistics of this department, over 7 years, 91 deaths were recorded in Russia as a result of an unsuccessful parachute jump. Which is an average of 13 people per year.

Is it a lot or a little?

If we talk about the place of fatal parachute incidents in the structure of total mortality from external causes (about 200,000 cases annually), then they occupy the last place - with a share of 0.007%.

Table 1. Structure of mortality from external causes (100% - all deaths)

Cause of death	Share in total mortality from external causes, %
Murders	16,5
car accident	10
fires	5
Skydiving	0,007

Every year about 40 thousand jumps are made in Russia. Of them:

• death - 0.03% - 3 out of 10,000 people;
• traumatization (fractures, bruises, concussions) - about 0.1% - 1 out of 1000 people.

If we take into account that the similar death rate in fires is 6.7%, then the probability of dying when making a parachute jump is 233 times less than from fire.

Examples of real accidents

Below are cases of real incidents that took place when jumping by experienced skydivers.

• During the descent, 2 paratroopers were next to each other, made a collision at a height of 60 m, there was a partial extinguishing of the canopies, an increase in landing speed. The result is fracture. In other similar cases - injuries incompatible with life.

• An incorrect deployment of the main parachute occurred as a result of incorrect packing. Jumper tried to rectify the situation, but nothing came of it. The reserve is open at an altitude below 100 m. It landed on a partially filled reserve dome and several sections of the main dome. The result is a broken hip and ribs.

• The parachutist performed a dangerous 180° turn at a height of 30 m in a wind of 10 m/s. The result is broken legs and a concussion. In other similar cases - injuries incompatible with life.

• Landing on the roof of the building with the dome extinguishing, then dragging the paratrooper and falling to the ground. The result is severe injury.

• Landing on uneven ground: one foot on a bump. The result is a broken ankle.

• Loss of consciousness during descent. The landing took place in an uncontrolled mode. The result is the death of a parachutist.

Causes of accidents

1. In almost 80% of cases, the cause of the accident is wrong actions skydiver:

• 30% of accidents occur as a result of incorrect landing (sharp control, low turns, underestimation of weather conditions, etc.);
• 27% did not try to open the reserve;
• 21% - reserve parachute open at low altitude.

As you can see, almost 50% of deaths occur as a result of incorrect opening or non-opening of the reserve.

1. The remaining 20% ​​of accidents are related to:

• with incorrect operation of the safety device or its absence;
• with loss of consciousness by a parachutist during descent;
• other factors not dependent on the jumping person.

1. It is wrong to think that only those who jump for the first time die during a jump. They account for less than 30% of total deaths. 70% are those who have experience of more than 25 jumps. This indicates that skydiving accidents occur as a result of:

• imprudence;
• indiscipline;
• self-confidence;
• making the wrong decision during the descent.

How to avoid an accident

The success (or failure) of a jump is determined by:

• by 20% - the approach to the organization and instructor work in the selected parachute club;
• 80% - discipline and algorithmic actions of the skydiver himself.

Choose the right skydiving club

When you are going to jump for the first time, take into account two points:

• other people's recommendations;
• jump cost.

With the first - everything is clear: it is unlikely that anyone will turn to the organizers, who are not very well known. Clubs, of course, do not advertise and in any way hide cases of "accidents". But the world is full of rumors. Never jump for cheap. Aircraft, fuel, pilot and instructor services - all this costs money. If the cost is low, it means that the office is saving on something.

1. Save on fuel.

Parachutists are thrown out not at the minimum altitude of 800 m, but at 600 m or even 400 m. The jumper does not need to do anything: the parachute is pulled out by a line attached to the plane when the jump is made. However, if for some unlikely reason something goes wrong, the person should have time to deploy the reserve parachute. The maximum height at which this can be done safely is 300 m.

The speed of free fall is about 50 m/s. Those. if the organizers save and dangerously throw out paratroopers at a height of 600 m, a person has only 6 seconds to orient himself and pull the pin out of the reserve parachute. If - at an altitude of 400 m, then - only 2 seconds. This is catastrophically small even for a professional.

1. Save on equipment

An automatic belay device - PPKU - should open the reserve at an altitude of 400-500 m. But the organizers can save on it too. They argue like this: anyway, the main parachute will open forcibly, the height is small. To prevent the PKU from working, you need to pull out a special pin from the device during the first seconds of the descent.

Many beginners forget about it from the overwhelmed delight and nervous excitement. As a result, in addition to the main one, a reserve parachute is also thrown out.

But since the person is no longer in free fall, there is no way for the dome to open. The reserve begins to wrap around the skydiver, hindering the mobility of the legs - all this introduces additional risks already at the stage of contact with the ground. Therefore, many organizers, reducing the height of the jump, do not use automatic belay at all. Together, these two factors - a dangerously low exit altitude and the absence or inoperability of the control panel - significantly increase the risk of an accident.

In addition, parachute equipment must be periodically checked and replaced. Thrifty offices do not pay due attention to this, they use non-standard elements in parachutes (in other words, repaired), which catastrophically increases the likelihood of an accident.

1. Save on qualified staff.

The success of the jump largely depends on the well-coordinated work of the pilot and instructor. Paratroopers cannot be thrown out at any time. This is done at a certain speed so that the plane does not “talk”, the release must be without “sliding”. Otherwise, the wheel of the aircraft - and such cases have happened - can hook on any functional part of the parachutist's equipment, making it impossible and incomplete to open the parachute.

Thus, when choosing a flying club for your first jump, consider the following tips:

• choose famous clubs with a good history;
• be interested in the details of the upcoming jump (height, type of parachute, the presence of PPCU)
• don't save.

Be ready to jump

Despite its apparent simplicity, skydiving is IT IS DIFFICULT. A person does not have the ability to fly and to control the canopy of a parachute. Moreover, all natural reflexes are contrary to what is required when jumping and landing. For most people, jumping out of an airplane is already a feat.

1. Take preparation seriously.

Today, many organizers limit themselves to express preparation immediately before the jump. For descent on a round canopy with forced opening at 800 meters, this is enough. But, if your plans include breathtaking flights from a height of 3-4 km, then start right away with a parachute school. Do not be lazy and go through a full theoretical and practical training before the buckles.

1. Be disciplined and mentally prepared

Flying clubs often do not set age limits, and in tandem with an instructor they allow even children of school years to jump. It is worth remembering that an instructor is not a panacea, and even the most experienced ones, who have tens of thousands of jumps behind them, break down.

The danger is an independent jump in adolescence. In the head of the jumper there should be a clear algorithm of actions brought to automatism. This presupposes a certain psychological preparation, emotional maturity. What, for example, in 14 years is not enough.

In any case, in order to sign all the necessary papers, a person must be of legal age, i.e. who have reached the age of 18. Otherwise, the presence of parents is required.

1. Learn to fly a parachute.
   

Even a canopy parachute can be “taxied”, not to mention the “wing”. For example: if the wind blows in the wrong direction, the landscape below is difficult and dangerous for landing, and in many other cases. Despite the seemingly slow descent of a person under a parachute from the ground, the blowing wind blows him a kilometer, and sometimes more, from the point of exit from the aircraft.

To correct, you need to correctly apply the sliding technique. By tightening or releasing the necessary lines, the skydiver slows down or accelerates the horizontal movement.

1. The landing is more important than the descent.

Most injuries occur when touching the ground. The speed of a person at this moment is 3-5 m/s or 11-18 km/h, which corresponds to the speed of intense running. Now imagine that at a certain moment there is a wall in front of you, and you crash into it with all your might - about the same thing happens when you touch the ground, only you crash into a horizontal plane, not a vertical one. In windy weather, the landing speed is even higher: it reaches 36 km / h. And this can become a big problem if the descender has not been trained in the control of the speed of descent and does not know how to correctly group upon landing.

Final remark

If you feel insecure, doubt that everything will go well, if you are nervous, and the thought of an unopened parachute frightens you, then it is better to refrain from jumping. You may not be quite ready for this step yet. You may never be ready for it. This shouldn't be frustrating: parachuting it requires a significant overcoming of oneself, the possession of courage, 100% confidence that the jump will succeed. Another option is to jump in tandem with an instructor, which will give you more confidence, make you feel safe next to a professional, and also give you the opportunity to take photos and videos of your jump. This is exactly what Oksana, the host of the Amazon project, did: