Man Jumps Out of Airplane without Parachute onto Trampoline

Claim:

Video shows a man jumping from an airplane without a parachute and surviving by landing on a trampoline.

Rating:

False

About this rating

On 20 November 2014, Sector 6 Sports Venue & Stadium posted a video on their Facebook page of a man jumping from an airplane without a parachute, who — through the use of a magnetic steering system — ends up plummeting through a hole in the roof of a building and landing safely on a specially reinforced trampoline:

The video quickly went viral, but many viewers were skeptical of its authenticity, and the company's Facebook page filled with comments as people pondered the possibility of someone's surviving a parachuteless plummet from an airplane.

Although many doubters debated the mathematics behind the stunt (e.g., the average velocity of a skydiver in a belly-to-earth free-fall position is 120 mph), the video was easily debunked by pondering three non-scientific components.

First, the video featured a news clip from "Sky Newz," which is not a real news media outlet. Second, the video just happened to end by promoting Sector 6's new trampoline park in New Orleans. Finally, Sector 6 uploaded the video with the title: "This really happened at our California park," which was less than believable because Sector 6 had no facility in California.

The truth is that this video was merely a clever advertisement for a new trampoline park. Its conceit was rivaled in real-life in July 2016, however, when Luke Aikins jumped from an airplane at 25,000 feet without a parachute and landed safely in a giant net.