How high a fall can you survive?

[nanobyte 0]

I've recently met someone at my dz who flared too early (what seems to be a common beginner's mistake...), after which his chute collapsed and he touched down so hard it knocked him unconscious.

What would you say - what height (falling) can you survive?

Of course it depends on the circumstances (e.g. head first), but are we talking about 25, 50 or 100 ft?

[AggieDave 6]

There are reports of people falling out of airplanes sans rigs in a non-skydiving environment and living. Then again there are reports of people falling off of a step ladder and meeting death.

As for "that guy" at your DZ, talk to your instructors on how to further recognize the proper flare height and speed. Also talk to them about what to do when you flare too high. Also talk to them about canopy stalls induced by toggle input. You should be at the point or close to it with 9 jumps in which you could dump high and do some stalls to see what it feels like and how the canopy recovers. More importantly, you'll learn what it feels like when your canopy is on the edge of a stall.

Thats a very important thing to learn about, on toggles and rears (incase you have a brake line break on opening some day and decide to land on your rears).

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[Travman 6]

I've survived nearly 300 falls from 13,000ft

[LongWayToFall 0]

I heard somewhere that the rule of 50/50 (50% have fatal injuries, 50% survive) is 30ft over hard packed ground and 100ft over water. I think this covers adults, so figure if you are fit you have a slightly better chance (ie not grandma falling off of the roof)

[adobelover 0]

I survived a 53 foot fall out of a tree when I was 10. Now I make sure I have at least 5,000 feet of altitude and am wearing a parachute!

_________________________________________


Old age ain't no place for sissies!

[tdog 0]

A BASE jumper at Twin Falls hit the river with a PC in tow. He hit at pretty much full speed, from a 480 foot fall. He was wearing some body armor, and lived.

My friend's grandmother died a few weeks ago from hitting her head in the kitchen.

Luck and how you hit and what you hit, will change the outcome...

480 feet = lived
0 feet = died

That being said - you are asking a serious question that you should consider a lot about... The number one way to die in skydiving these days is under a perfectly good canopy with user error.

Flaring too high is 100% survivable if you know exactly what to do. If you do the wrong thing, you will dive your canopy into the ground.

So you know what to ask your mentors about, ask about "angle of attack", and why by flaring the pendulum effect increases angle of attack, increasing lift, reducing speed - and - why by going back to full flight - the opposite occurs.

As you say you have identified a common beginners mistake that is completely survivable with skill.

[d123 1]

What canopy was he flying?

Lock, Dock and Two Smoking Barrelrolls!

[hackish 8]

2 weekends ago I watched a student who was just off radio flare way too high. I mean like 50' up too high. He did as he had been instructed and held the toggles down for a standup landing. He was flying a Tutor 280.

I've also wondered about the OP's question. I gave it some thought and did some reading. The height from which you apparently fall is going to be greatly impacted by what is still over your head. A collapsed parachute won't do that much, nor will one that is diving but it will still affect the speed at which you hit the ground.

Another point is how you hit the ground. I know some people have hit the ground with a reasonably high forward speed (80-100mph) and ended up rolling a few times to just a few bruises. Someone else at a much lower speed (est 30-40mph) ended up in critical care for a long time. Difference - the second one went end over end. I know motorcycle crashes aren't exactly the same but it gives you an idea that height is only part of it.

-Michael

[freestyle7457 0]

I wouldn't say that it happens often, however there are several articles online. Here's the best one I found:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16313217/?GT1=8816

[airathanas 0]

Why is that common for students flaring high? I don't recall doing this when I was a student. Sometimes in high winds I flare too much and I pop back up again. I didn't realize that this is a common thing until recently. It's a really scary thing to watch!

http://3ringnecklace.com/

[d123 1]

Flaring high, yes. 50 feet high no.
A wing that is not stable in deep breaks might not be that good for students.

Lock, Dock and Two Smoking Barrelrolls!

[Mark24688m 0]

Sometimes during the first few landings 40-50 feet can look like 10. Especially if you have no experience with judging altitudes. And especially if you are looking straight down.

[jm951 0]

Survival can depend on a number of different factors. Some folks die from 0 feet, others die on step ladders, still other survive multistory falls from roofs. I think part of it has to do with your physical condition at the time and how you impact.

Back when I was extremely active climbing rocks, I took an 80 foot ground fall. I was climbing sans rope on an easy route, slipped and mean ole mr gravity took over. Cost me a week in the hospital and surgery. Now I willingly jump out of airplanes.

[d123 1]

Quote

Sometimes during the first few landings 40-50 feet can look like 10. Especially if you have no experience with judging altitudes. And especially if you are looking straight down.

You are right.
If the instructor doesn't keep the radio connection alive by repeating "Hold it, Hold it" (or whatever) the student might think the radio is off and he must take things in his own hands. This combined with fear and poor altitude judgement might render him to flare significantly high.
The radio could also be dead but at 50 feet the instructor could yell out "hold it, Hold it"as a precaution
Another cause of high flares might be semantics. As a student I was told to flare when I'm around 10 to 12 feet above the ground. 10 to 12 feet measured from my point of view or measured from my feet? There's a difference!!

Happy Landings,
Jean-Arthur Deda.

Lock, Dock and Two Smoking Barrelrolls!

[Usetawuz 1]

Me? I don't know yet.

_________________________________________
The older I get, the better I was!

[grimmie 186]

During an EMT course a few years back we had a well known trauma doctor give a lecture on the subject of falls. During many studies over many years he concluded that an 11ft. fall is enough to kill the most fit person. Not standing at foot level 11', rather head level at 11', and hitting head first.
I've seen enough fraps on my job and at the DZ to believe him.
Pull your strings and PLF...