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Dramatic moment skydiver plunges at 150mph as parachute fails to open

The moment a skydiver’s parachute failed to open has been caught on camera.

Dave Pagett jumped from a plane at 13,000ft during a charity skydive falling at 150mph before his emergency chute was activated by an instructor.

The instructor, who remained calm during the jump, told the IT expert: "Hang on dude, we're going for another ride".

Despite the first chute failing to deploy, which happens in around one in every 4,000 jumps, Pagett safely landed - and even said he’d like to do it again.

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Pagett was doing a charity skydive for his 50th birthday at Hinton Airfield, Northamptonshire, on October 10, when the chute didn’t open. However he still managed to raise £1,000 for the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust.

Pagett, from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, decided to take part in the skydive after the Manchester Marathon was cancelled. He added: “I think it was my destiny to do the jump. The marathon was meant to be in April, then October.

“People had already sponsored me for the marathon and I really wanted to raise money for the charity, then I was told about the dive and I thought ‘why not? We’ll see what happens.’

“Everything was going well - we did one briefing and talked about the release chute which goes off in an emergency if the first one doesn’t. They said we’ll hear three bangs if that happens.”

Dave Pagett jumped from 13,000ft when his parachute didn't open (SWNS)
Dave Pagett jumped from 13,000ft when his parachute didn't open (SWNS)

Pagett added that because it was his birthday, he went first.

“You are free falling at 150mph for 45 seconds and you are getting spun a lot as someone was taking pictures and videos.

“We released the chute and I was aware I hadn’t gone from the horizontal to vertical position which happens when the chute pulls you back.

“I turned to Keith the instructor, who I was attached to, and he said ‘hang on dude, we’re going for another ride’.”

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Pagett said he didn’t panic even when he heart the parachute alarm go off.

He said: “I was thinking ‘oh dear, sh*t’ but I didn’t panic. I was just thinking we had a problem and then the parachute alarm went off. We heard two bangs go off coming from the shoot while we were falling face down towards the floor.

“Then the second chute went off, pulled us back up and we came down pretty quickly.

“I’d definitely do it again next year. At least I know what to expect if the first chute doesn’t open.”

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