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British Man and His Skydiving Instructor Survive Falling 11,000 ft to the Ground After Malfunction

October 27, 2025

British Man and His Skydiving Instructor Survive Falling 11,000 ft to the Ground After Malfunction

A British man and his skydiving instructor survive, falling 11,000 feet to the ground after a parachute malfunction. There are moments when the air holds its breath. When every law of gravity, logic, and reason should have the final word—and yet, somehow, God speaks louder.

That’s what happened to Mitchell Deakin, a 25-year-old from Lytham St Annes in England, whose skydiving adventure in Las Vegas should have ended in tragedy.

They Slammed Into the Desert

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He was strapped to his instructor, Jiron Arcos Ponce, when both of their parachutes failed—spinning helplessly through eleven thousand feet of open sky. The pair slammed into the Nevada desert at an estimated 35 to 45 miles per hour.

And somehow… they lived.

“I saw their chute wasn’t working as it should,” recalled instructor Mauro Ravanelli, who witnessed the fall. “The secondary chute had greater issues—it didn’t open all the way.”

The Man Survived The Skydiving Accident

When they hit the ground, the world should’ve gone silent. But mercy wasn’t finished yet.

Mitchell was airlifted to the hospital with a fractured pelvis, broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a lacerated kidney. Jiron remained in critical condition. Doctors placed metal plates in Mitchell’s pelvis to keep it from collapsing.

Days later, his mother shared the unthinkable update: her son was walking again—with a frame, yes, but walking. “The chest drain was removed yesterday,” she wrote. “Another step in the right direction.”

It Was Quite the Miracle

What’s left to say after a miracle like that?

Mitchell’s girlfriend, Isabel Clacher, said he’s “really positive” and thankful for the medical team. He’s already talking about donating any leftover funds from his recovery to charity.

How do you measure a fall like that—and a God who catches you in ways you can’t fathom?

You can’t. You only whisper thanks.

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Because sometimes the hands that hold us aren’t visible—the miracle comes stitched in metal plates, in strangers’ courage, in a mother’s trembling prayer from across an ocean.

And when you’ve plummeted eleven thousand feet and still wake up breathing, you realize what Mitchell surely knows now: Every heartbeat is holy ground.

Psalm 91:11 “For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” 

WATCH: British Man and His Skydiving Instructor Survive Falling 11,000 ft to the Ground After Malfunction

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h/t: People

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/8 News Now — Las Vegas


Heather Riggleman is a believer, wife, mom, author, social media consultant, and full-time writer. She lives in Minden, Nebraska with her kids, high school sweetheart, and three cats who are her entourage around the homestead. She is a former award-winning journalist with over 2,000 articles published. She is full of grace and grit, raw honesty, and truly believes tacos can solve just about any situation. You can find her on GodUpdates, iBelieve, Crosswalk, Hello Darling, Focus On The Family, and in Brio Magazine. Connect with her at www.HeatherRiggleman.com or on Facebook.  

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