The heart-racing jump from a plane is supposed to end with a solid landing and a drive home. Skydivers preach safety, but there are times when the worst happens — often by no fault of the skydiver. The following skydiving mishaps all end in ways other than intended. Remember — if you’re going to jump out of a plane, be sure to get thorough training.
Warning: some of the clips are graphic. We’ve placed the worst ones at the end.
This skydiver comes in way too fast for a landing and goes tumbling across a field.
Although both of this skydiver’s parachutes fail, this landing looks worse that it is. Though he hits the ground hard, he emerges with nothing more than a scratch on his neck.
This water-and-skydiving highlights reel shows that water and skydiving really do not go together.
This silent film showcases a hard landing from a skydiver’s perspective.
Another hard landing from the view of a helmet camera. Watching the slow-motion replay explains precisely why this landing was unsuccessful.