Red Devils skydive member is CAUGHT by colleague in Mid-Air after parachute failed to open at 1000ft

• published: 20 Jun 2015
• views: 34

This is the incredible moment a Red Devil parachutist was caught in mid-air at 1,000ft by his team-mate after his chute failed to open during an airshow. Thousands watched in horror as the soldier from the Army freefall display team startled 'violently kicking' as he hurtled towards the ground when his parachute became tangled during the Whitehaven Airshow. But his team-mate managed to catch the soldier and wrap his legs around the deflated parachute, holding his colleague's weight until they landed in the water at Queens Dock on the Cumbrian coast last night. They were lined up to perform a manoeuvre called a stack where one jumper is directly under another when the chute collapse or entanglement happened. Both parachutists are 'safe and sound' and did not suffer any serious injuries, according to event organisers. Onlookers have said they felt 'sick' as they watched them tangled together and swiftly falling towards the ground. They landed in the water as thousands of anxious viewers looked on shortly after 7pm. Everyone clapped when they both popped up in the water and there was a 'big sigh of relief that they were both safe'. A rescue boat picked them up and one of them gave a wave to show he was safe, according to Ms Milne. She told BBC Breakfast: 'He was so frantically kicking his legs that there was something seriously wrong. It was amazing how he managed to get in to the water and not hurt himself or the man above him.' Brian Sherwen, official photographer at the event, said that one of the soldiers must have had 'incredible strength' to hold the weight of his colleague and his chute. 'I was standing with the lads from the Red Arrows, and it was one of them who first noticed there was a problem. 'I zoomed in on them with my long lens, and I could see that one of the guys' parachutes had not opened properly, and he was falling. 'His partner steered over to him and kicking his legs, wrapped them around his parachute, holding his weight. It must have taken incredible strength. It was nail-biting, but it all happened so quickly. 'I did not have time to think about whether they would survive.' Sgt Baz Loftus, the safety operations manager on the ground for the Red Devils, refused to identify the two parachutists involved. 'The Red Devils are a team and we want to stay as a team,' he said. 'We will need to watch the video to assess whether it was an individual or mechanical error. 'The stunt team always has a primary landing spot as well as a number of back-up landing places – where they came down was a back-up site.' He added that the stricken parachutist was too close to the ground to deploy his emergency second parachute. Sgt Loftus said: 'The team train for this and this was an opportunity for their training to kick in. This could have been a dangerous situation - but we're trained to deal with dangerous situations.' The Red Devils formed in 1963 and carries out more than 60 displays every year, according to its website. It currently comprises of 12 serving soldiers from the three battalions of the Parachute Regiment, all of whom have to have at least three years experience. 'We can confirm that the Red Devil parachutists are both safe and sound. For the first time in 25 years they had a parachute fail,' it said. 'One team member caught his team-mate and brought him into Queens Dock. Our safety procedures worked perfectly and a huge thank you to Whitehaven Marina for getting them out of the water so quickly.' A spokesperson for the Whitehaven Show said: 'Our air show co-ordinator has spoken to the Red Devils and they can now confirm that all parachutes opened but very quickly after departure from the aircraft they were about to perform a manoeuvre called a stack where one jumper is directly under another. 'It was as they lined up for that manaouvre that the chute collapse or entanglement happened. 'It has to be pointed out that the skill and cool thinking of both team members to then manage to steer to safety was incredible. 'Its a testament to the training and the skill of the British Forces and we are just happy that last nights drama had a happy ending. 'Within ten minutes of landing the lads were tucking into pie and peas and a pint and there was an audible sigh of relief in the crowd when we were able to announce they were both safe. 'Whitehaven has a great affinity with the Forces and it remains the only town in the country to have granted the freedom to all three branches as a result of the strong links via recruitment and the festivals.' Music : Movement Proposition by Keivn MacLeod Blog : http://patrynworldlatestnews.blogspot.com Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/patryn.worldlatestnews