What is the death rate of skydiving?

In 2021, USPA recorded 10 fatal skydiving accidents—the lowest year on record—a rate of 0.28 fatalities per 100,000 jumps. This is comparable to 2020, where participants made fewer jumps—2.8 million—and USPA recorded 11 fatalities, a rate of 0.39 per 100,000.

How common is death by skydiving?

Skydiving can be scary for first-time free fallers. Often, this stems from fear of falling to their death, but skydiving is a surprisingly safe sport compared to other adrenaline rushes. In 2020, The USPA recorded just 11 skydiving deaths out of 2.8 million who jumped — a fatality rate of only 0.39 per 100,000 jumps.

Is skydiving worth the risk?

Skydiving isn't without risk, but is much safer than you might expect. According to statistics by the United States Parachute Association, in 2018 there were a total of 13 skydiving-related fatalities out of approximately 3.3 million jumps!

How many people died in skydiving accidents in 2021?

Ten people died making sport skydives in the U.S. in 2021, the fewest number of U.S. civilian skydiving deaths since recordkeeping began in 1961. The recent downward trend began in 2018, when 13 fatalities occurred in the U.S. for a fatality index of 0.39 per 100,000 jumps.

Is skydiving safer than driving?

The answer is surprising: statistically speaking, yes, skydiving is safer than driving. As you get behind the wheel for your daily commute, you may not even bat an eye, but did you know it's far more "dangerous" than jumping out of a "perfectly good airplane." It's true.

Is Skydiving Safe | Skydiving Accident Stats

How scary is skydiving?

Simply put, the actual skydive (the free fall) doesn't feel scary because you don't feel out of control. Unlike a rollercoaster where you're being rocked and jostled, the free fall is smooth. There aren't sensations of plummeting to earth uncontrollably and you don't get ground rush.

Who shouldn't skydive?

Will I pass out skydiving?

It is possible. Yes, you can pass out while skydiving. But, it's not a very likely scenario for you to find yourself in. The rare handful of people who experienced a lapse in consciousness while on a skydive likely made a few key mistakes.

What's the odds of a parachute not opening?

The answer: Hardly ever. According to the USPA (which collects and publishes skydiving accident statistics), about one in every one-thousand parachutes will experience a malfunction so significant that actually requires the use of the reserve parachute.

Is bungee jumping safer than skydiving?

The National Safety Council says a person is more likely to be killed being stung by a bee or struck by lightning than during tandem skydiving. Bungee jumping sports the same fatality rate or 1 in 500,000. When it comes to safety, bungee jumping and skydiving are right on par.

Can you survive a parachute failure?

Fortunately, you can use a reserve parachute to land on your feet unharmed, even if your main parachute fails. If your reserve also fails, there are even tactics that you can use to improve your chances of surviving a freefall to earth.

How hard do you hit the ground when skydiving?

A stable belly-to-earth body position will usually result in a 'terminal velocity' (this being the fastest speed you'll reach during freefall) of 120mph or 200kph. A stable head down position (falling upside with your head toward the ground and legs up) gets around 150-180mph (240-290kph).

How often is skydiving wrong?

At 19 per year, fatal skydiving accidents are infrequent. That tends to make each one newsworthy, so you are likely to hear about them.

What is the cause of most skydiving accidents?

The reality is that the vast majority of skydiving accidents are a result of simple human error. Many of the accidents occur because the jumper—oftentimes an experienced skydiver who is pushing the limits— makes an error in judgement while landing a perfectly functioning parachute.

How many skydives pee themselves?

Involuntary urination during skydiving is rare. The vast majority of tandem instructors will tell you that they have never experienced this issue with their students before. You will probably only have to worry about peeing your pants if you have a history of urinary incontinence or if you have a weakened pelvic floor.

Can you breathe while skydiving?

Yes, you can! A common misconception about skydiving is that you can't breathe during freefall, but breathing during a skydive is actually not much harder than breathing on the ground.

What is the max weight for skydiving?

Most skydiving centers will say their weight limit for a tandem passenger is approximately 200-220 pounds for women and 230-250 pounds for men. There is typically no minimum weight, only a minimum age (18 years old in the US). But there's more to it than the number on the scale.

Can you skydive pregnant?

The simple answer is this: Yes, you can skydive pregnant if you are a licensed jumper and you choose to take the risks. No, you cannot skydive pregnant if you are a first time tandem skydiver, because of the considerable liabilities.

What happens to your brain when you skydive?

The good chemicals we create such as adrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine are driven to action by skydiving which can have both immediate and lasting effects. The various internal chemistry stimulated by freefall can help with things like sleep and digestion, but also aid depression and improve general mental health.

What is the scariest part of skydiving?

The door opens, your skin tingles from the brisk feel of the air at 13,000ft, and if it wasn't before, it's real now! This part of the skydive lasts roughly three seconds. The hardest part is stepping up. This is the final push.

What skydiving feels like?

It feels more like flying than falling. It's very windy, loud, and intense. Your adrenaline is pumping and your senses come alive. Skydiving is quite breathtaking and gives you a refreshing, incredible perspective on the world.

Can both parachutes fail?

The reserve parachute almost always works.

So, it comes down to a numbers game. Main parachutes (or canopies) have a low failure rate, and they're not even made with the level of precision used on reserve parachutes. Hence, the chances of both the main and reserve 'chutes failing at the same jump are microscopic.

What happens if your parachute doesn't open when skydiving?

So when a skydiver finds themselves in a position where their main parachute isn't opening or has opened with an error, they simply remove that parachute and deploy their reserve parachute instead.

Why do skydivers say blue skies?

Blue-Skies: Of course there is the literal meaning of “blue-skies”, which is that there is a cloudless day, but in skydiving, the phrase is imbued with more meaning. Used as both a greeting and phrase of farewell, it's a way to say that you hope all is well and a bit of a benediction or blessing that it stays that way.