Holly Whiffen, a 35-year-old skydiver from Okehampton, Devon, survived a midair collision at Langar Airfield near Nottingham, England, after falling about 10,000 feet unconscious. She was performing tracking when another skydiver hit her in the air, and she later said, “If I hadn’t hit the tree, I would have hit the ground and would not have survived.”
Whiffen jumped from about 12,000 feet on the seventh of last month. A video appears to show the male skydiver’s shin striking the back of her helmet, which knocked her out and sent her into a fall that reportedly reached about 240 kilometers per hour.
Langar Airfield collision
Whiffen was skydiving with other jumpers when the collision happened. Her helmet-mounted camera also came off, and another skydiver followed her downward and tried to grab her but failed to catch her. She fell for most of the descent without either parachute deployed, then reportedly pulled her parachute cords at about 1,000 feet, or about 305 meters.
She also pulled the cord for her reserve parachute. Both parachutes opened at the same time and caused a downplane, a situation in which the canopies pull in opposite directions instead of slowing the descent normally. Whiffen then came down at about 65 to 80 kilometers per hour.
Tree branches and rescue
Whiffen hit tree branches before reaching the ground, and the trees absorbed much of the impact. Rescuers found severe fractures to her left leg and spine and bruises across her body. She is recovering on crutches at her parents’ farm.
The accident shows how little margin remains once a skydiver loses control after a collision: a late parachute deployment, a reserve opening at the same time, and then a downplane left Whiffen dependent on whatever slowed her descent before ground contact. She said, “I want to get back to skydiving as soon as possible” and “People skydive even though they know it is dangerous. They take that risk because it is that much fun.”
Whiffen in recovery
Whiffen intends to return to skydiving once she has recovered enough, bringing the story back to the same sport that nearly killed her. The unanswered part is how she regained enough awareness after the collision to pull both cords during the final stage of the fall.
