The Terrifying Moment When A Stunt Parachute Failed To Open Mid-Routine

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Wayne Shorthouse, 32, and Mike French, 34 faced catastrophe as they tried to perform a stacking display at Whitehaven Air Show

#2 Red Devils’ Cpl Mike French and Cpl Wayne Shorthouse describe how a mid-air collision caused one of their parachutes to collapse.

Two of the Red Devils parachute team have relived the terrifying moment when their chutes tangled 2,000 feet above the Cumbrian coast.

Corporals Wayne Shorthouse, 32, and Mike French, 34, faced catastrophe as they tried to perform a stacking display at Whitehaven Air Show. The drama ended with Shorthouse wrapping his legs inside the ropes of his colleague's deflated parachute and guiding him to the safety of the town's Queens Dock.

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"We were giggling as we hit the water, and then we just paddled to the side and went off for pie and peas and a pint together," said French.

French and his colleague said they were looking forward to their next jump. They only remained grounded on Saturday because conditions were too poor in Nuneaton.

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"I don't think either of us was frightened at the time," said French. "We just focused on the job in hand. It hit afterwards when we realised it could have been a lot worse."

He added: "It was always intended as a water jump. If it hadn't been I'd have deployed my reserve chute and left Wayne with a bag of washing around his ankles."

French recalled calling his wife, Claire, 30, and telling her: "We had a wrap today."

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"It was just like coming off a diving board," said Shorthouse. "We've no injuries at all and if I'd needed to I could have slowed us down evening more."

Asked whether there would be an official investigation into the incident, French replied: "There's not really an investigation. The British Parachute Association will ask us what happened and we'll send in a report and that will be it."