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UK parachute drama on camera

Sunday, June 21, 2015 - 01:17

Spectators film the drama of a mid-air rescue as a British army skydiver rescues a fellow team member whose parachute fails to open. Paul Chapman reports.

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Spectator video captures the dramatic rescue of a skydiver whose parachute failed to open. A fellow team member of Britain's army Red Devils display team caught the lines of the failed chute and guided the pair of them safely down. The two men landed unharmed in the waters of a marina in the northern England town of Whitehaven. Corporal Wayne Shorthouse who performed the rescue says it's all part of the training. (SOUNDBITE)(English) CORPORAL WAYNE SHORTHOUSE SAYING: "The canopy wrapped around myself and from that moment there we had to discuss all the way, keep in communication throughout the parachute display, what we were actually going to do to get ourselves out of that situation." Corporal Mike French was on the end of the failed parachute. (SOUNDBITE)(English) CORPORAL MIKE FRENCH SAYING: "As soon as I'd made contact with Wayne from the back I looked up, saw the parachute was a little bit wrapped around, pretty much straight away you realise that's not exactly how we'd planned to do it but then training kicks in. We're members of the parachute regiment of the British Army, we always train for every eventuality." It's the team's first parachute failure in 25 years. An investigation's underway to find out what went wrong. Just a day later, undaunted by the mid-air drama, the pair were due back in action with their team mates again on Sunday.

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UK parachute drama on camera

Sunday, June 21, 2015 - 01:17