The Wingsuit Exit That Nearly Killed All Of Us
I recently posted a YouTube Short about one of the closest calls Iāve ever had in skydiving, and honestly, the short version doesnāt really show how serious it was.
This happened at Netheravon, UK, during what should have been a completely normal skydive.
A normal loadā¦ until it wasnāt
I boarded the aircraft with a mixed load of skydivers, including two other wingsuiters.
Those other 2 wingsuiters were flying as a 2-way acro team, meaning they were planning to exit together and practice acrobatic flying for an event. In wingsuiting, that matters, because they need to leave the aircraft at a different spot from everyone else.
For anyone outside skydiving, a 'spot' is the point in the sky where you leave the aircraft so you open in the right area and stay separated from other groups.
So the plan should have been simple:
ā¢ The regular freefall groups exit first
ā¢ I exit with them as the lone wingsuiter
ā¢ Then the pilot flies to a different spot
ā¢ The 2-way wingsuit team exits after that
Thatās how it should have happened.
It didnāt.
The moment it went wrong
After the freefallers exited, I moved into the door to leave the aircraft.
At that point, I was meant to go.
The green light was on (see middle left of the photo).
That means, from my side of things, the jump was cleared.
But as I got into position to exit, the pilot suddenly put the power on and accelerated.
That should never happen while someone is actively exiting the aircraft.
And if you know anything about wingsuit exits, you already know how bad that is.
The airflow changed instantly and I got ripped out of the door as I was stepping off.
Not a clean launch.
Not a normal exit.
I was violently pulled out while the aircraft was powering forward.
For a split second, I was in the exact kind of situation that can send a wingsuiter up into the tail of the aircraft.
Look how high up I am compared to the main wing...the tail plan is right behind my head.
I get an unstable exit and end up on my back, looking back at the Cessa 208.
And if that happens?
Thatās not just āan incident.ā
Thatās potentially:
Me dead
The aircraft damaged or brought down
The pilot dead
The two wingsuiters still inside dead.
This wasnāt some exaggerated near miss.
This was the kind of mistake that can kill multiple people at once.
Why this should never have happened
Someone, somewhere in the chain, got it badly wrong.
Because the pilot should have known that:
- I was not part of the 2-way team
- I was exiting with the regular groups
- The aircraft should not accelerate until I was gone
So one of a few things must have happened:
The pilot wasnāt properly briefed.
The Jump master didnāt clearly explain the exit order.
The 2-way teamās separate spot plan wasnāt communicated properly.
The pilot assumed that because I was in a wingsuit, I must have been part of that team.
Whatever the exact cause was, the result was the same:
A completely avoidable situation that nearly turned catastrophic.
What pissed me off most was what happened after.
When I got to the ground no one took responsibility for it.
No proper ownership.
No clear explanation.
No real accountability.
And that, to me, is almost worse than the mistake itself.
Because mistakes can happen in aviation and sky diving.
But when something goes that wrong, something that could have taken out an aircraft, the response should never be silence, deflection, or shrugging it off.
Thatās how people get hurt the next time.
Skydiving is dangerous enough without stupidity.
People outside the sport already think skydiving is reckless.
The truth is, most of the time itās actually built on systems, discipline, communication, and procedure.
Thatās what keeps it safe.
Not luck.
So when something like this happens, it isnāt ājust one of those things.ā
Itās usually a breakdown in communication and responsibility.
And in wingsuiting especially, little mistakes become very big, very quickly.
I walked away from this one.
But it could have ended very differently, not just for me, but for everyone on that aircraft.
Thatās why Iām sharing it.
Not for sympathy.
Not for drama.
But because these are the moments people need to talk about honestly.
A green light means go.
And if a skydiver is in the door, the aircraft should not be powering up underneath them.
Simple as that.
If youāre in the sport, take communication seriously.
Because one assumption is all it takes. š§”
Have any of you in skydiving or aviation ever witnessed a dangerous communication breakdown like this? Iād be interested to hear your thoughts. š§”