How to Survive if Your Parachute Fails to Open

Assume the breakaway position. If your main parachute is malfunctioning or entangled, it’s crucial to disconnect it before activating your reserve parachute to prevent it from getting tangled as well. To assume the breakaway position, spread your legs to slow your descent and keep your head up, ensuring your back remains arched.

• Improper positioning could cause you to become tangled in your main parachute.
• Break away no lower than 1,600 feet to ensure enough time to deploy your reserve parachute fully.

Locate and grasp the breakaway handle. Take a moment to identify the lever you need to pull. Typically positioned on the right side, it’s important to confirm its location with your skydiving instructor before your jump. Grab the handle firmly with both hands and get ready to pull. The breakaway handle will appear as a cloth loop attached to the strap of your parachute pack.

Pull the breakaway handle while keeping an eye on your reserve handle. After pulling the breakaway handle, discard it. Focus your attention on the reserve handle. In a high-speed, high-stress situation, you might feel nervous or confused, so it's crucial to maintain your concentration on the next step. Pulling the breakaway handle will release your main parachute, preventing entanglement with your reserve.

• If your main parachute didn’t deploy, you don't need to pull the breakaway handle; simply activate your reserve ripcord.

Activate the reserve ripcord. With both hands, pull the reserve ripcord to deploy your secondary parachute. The ripcord is generally located on the left side of your harness. Your reserve parachute is also equipped with a static line lanyard, designed to automatically deploy the reserve when you disconnect from the main chute, though this should not be relied upon in case of malfunction. The reserve ripcord is typically attached to a red cloth loop or a metal loop, positioned on the opposite side of the breakaway handle.

Steer with the cables and prepare for landing. Check that your reserve parachute has deployed successfully and get ready to land. You’ll have less time to prepare, so executing the landing properly is essential. To assume the correct position, point your feet toward the ground, keeping your heels up, and prepare to absorb the impact with your legs. Use the left and right steering cables to guide your descent, and look for a safe landing area, like an open field. Avoid landing near cliffs or hazardous obstacles such as power lines.

• To turn left, pull the left cable; to turn right, pull the right cable.

Stay calm. If your main parachute fails to open and your reserve chute doesn’t deploy, it’s natural to feel fear and think the worst. However, keeping your calm is essential to surviving the fall. Focus on staying rational and plan each step carefully to improve your odds of survival. Concentrate on the actions you need to take, one at a time, to maximize your chances of making it out alive.

• Focus on regulating your breathing. Take slow, deep breaths through your nose and exhale through your mouth to clear your mind as you fall.

Spread your body in an X shape. Position your body to maximize drag by spreading out like a skydiver. The flatter you can make yourself, the more you can reduce your falling speed. Face the ground, raise your arms above your head, and arch your head and back upwards to catch as much air resistance as possible.

Aim for soft, yielding areas. Look for areas like marshes, forests, or snow that can cushion your fall and slow your descent before hitting the ground. Avoid landing on hard surfaces like concrete or flat fields. Hillsides are ideal because the slope can absorb some of the impact.

• Steer left or right by lowering the opposite elbow and leaning toward the direction you wish to turn. To reverse your direction, bend your knees and push your arms forward. To move forward, straighten your legs and bring your arms down to your sides.

Assume the skydiver's landing position. As you near the ground, get ready for your landing by adjusting your posture so that you can land on your feet. Keep your feet together, heels up, and pointed towards the earth. Bend both your knees and hips to brace for the impact, which will be intense.

If landing in water, keep your hands to your sides. If you’re falling over water and cannot aim for a safer area like marshes or trees, tighten your body and prepare to land feet first. Keep your hands by your sides and your feet together to minimize your risk of injury as you hit the water's surface.

Land on your feet. Make contact with the ground in the proper skydiver landing posture, ensuring your feet are facing downward with your heels raised. Landing on your feet helps your legs absorb some of the shock from the fall. Although you might sustain injuries to your legs or hips, this position can help prevent damage to more vital areas of your body.

Protect your head and roll if possible. A head or spinal injury can be fatal, so it’s essential to minimize the risk. When you hit the ground, try to land on your feet and roll forward, similar to performing a somersault. This can help cushion the impact. Use your hands and arms to shield your neck and protect the back and top of your head. Bend your neck forward and tuck your chin to safeguard your head from the force of the landing.