sky diving

13 Stories

7 People on Skydiving Flight Escape Plane Before It Crashes

Plane, however, was a total loss in Missouri accident

(Newser) - A small plane crashed into a Missouri field Saturday afternoon, but all seven people on board survived, thanks to the fact that they were on what the National Transportation Safety Board terms a "skydiving mission" at the time. The pilot and all six passengers parachuted out of the single-engine...

In Fatal Tandem Jump, an Issue With the Teacher

FAA is still investigating deaths of Yong Kwon, Tyler Turner

(Newser) - The director of an organization that certifies skydivers said Thursday that the instructor who led a tandem jump in Northern California that turned fatal didn't have the required advanced parachuting certificate, the AP reports. The Federal Aviation Administration requires tandem-jump instructors to receive training and a certificate from the...

Seizure Knocks Skydiver Unconscious Mid-Fall

Christopher Jones, 22, says 5K-foot free-fall 'possibly scariest moment of my life'

(Newser) - For 30 terrifying seconds, Christopher Jones plummeted through the air over Australia, unconscious and in free fall after suffering a seizure just seconds after jumping out of a plane, NBC News reports. Jones' video of the Nov. 14 incident, which he posted yesterday, already has nearly 4 million views. It...

Teen Survives 3,500-Foot Fall
 Teen Survives 3,500-Foot Fall 

Teen Survives 3,500-Foot Fall

Mackenzie Wethington recovering after skydiving accident

(Newser) - An absolutely amazing story out of Oklahoma, where a Texas 16-year-old survived a 3,500-foot fall in a skydiving mishap—and didn't even require any surgery for her injuries. Mackenzie Wethington, who went skydiving Saturday as a birthday present from her parents, slammed into the ground, yet somehow only...

Marine Dies on Vacation Wife Won on Ellen

Brandon McGraw dead in Australian skydiving accident

(Newser) - A Marine and his wife were in Australia last week on a trip they won on Ellen DeGeneres' show in January, but it ended in tragedy when the Marine was killed in a skydiving accident. Cherilyn McGraw made a tandem jump in Euroa, north of Melbourne, on Saturday, but husband...

Renowned Base Jumper Dies After Hitting Cliff

Mario Richard, 47, killed in Italy

(Newser) - A week after a famed stuntman died jumping from a helicopter in a wingsuit, another daredevil has been killed attempting a similar feat. Mario Richard, a leading American base jumper, died while wingsuit flying in the Dolomites in Italy on Monday. He was 47. The New York Times says that...

Bad Weather Delays Crazy Supersonic Sky-Dive

Felix Baumgartner plans to make leap on Tuesday

(Newser) - Felix Baumgartner has already sky-dived from 13 miles up and 18 miles up —so what's a leap of 23 miles that shatters the sound barrier? Well, it at least requires good weather, so the record-breaking dive has been bumped from Monday to Tuesday to avoid strong winds and...

Parachutist Jumps From 18 Miles Up

'Fearless Felix' Baumgartner well on his way to 23-mile jump

(Newser) - Skydiver "Fearless Felix" Baumgartner is working his way up to a record-breaking jump from 23 miles up , and today he jumped from a height of more than 18 miles. His altitude was an estimated 96,640 feet—almost three times more than the cruising altitude for planes, the AP...

Man Skydives ... Without a Parachute

Stuntman Gary Connery uses 'wingsuit' in first-of-its-kind stunt

(Newser) - Hollywood stuntman Gary Connery did something no one else had ever attempted today, diving out of a helicopter from 2,400 feet—without a parachute. Instead, the 42-year-old was relying on a "wingsuit" to slow him down and a stack of 18,600 cardboard boxes to break his fall,...

Daredevil Leaps From 13 Miles Up

Felix Baumgartner now halfway to skydiver record

(Newser) - An Austrian skydiver fell farther than anybody has fallen in 50 years yesterday, but he's still only halfway to making a record. "Fearless" Felix Baumgartner rode a pressurized capsule 13.6 miles up—as high as 57 Empire State Buildings and more than twice as high as commercial...

Skydiver Plans Jump From Edge of Space

Felix Baumgartner will fall from 23 miles up

(Newser) - If you have a fear of heights, don’t read on: An Austrian adventurer plans to jump from the very edge of space later this year, falling from the dizzying height of about 23 miles. (That's 120,000 feet; for comparison's sake, consider that the average passenger plane...

Veteran Skydiver Dies After Midair Collision

Ash White was jumping for fun, not for work, when he collided with another diver

(Newser) - A 40-year-old skydiving instructor collided with another jumper in a dive over Hawaii yesterday, knocking him unconscious and causing him to plummet to his death, Hawaii News Now reports. Ash White was on a "fun jump," a non-working first jump of the morning. Skydive Hawaii’s president witnessed...

Top Thrills for Your Holiday Buck
Top Thrills for Your Holiday Buck

Top Thrills for Your Holiday Buck

Challenge yourself and whatever unfortunates you bring along in these nail-biting vacation adventures

(Newser) - Timid vacationers whose idea of a good time is a book and a beach chair need not peruse this list of adventures, compiled by Forbes.
  1. Dive with sharks in the Bahamas (cagediver.com)
  2. Fly a fighter jet in California (incredible-adventures.com)
  3. High-altitude skydiving in Memphis (halojumper.com )

13 Stories