On Thursday, skydiver Daniel Herndon jumped out of a plane the deliver the game ball for a professional soccer match between the Oklahoma City Energy and Chivas USA. However, after deploying his parachute, it malfunctioned which caused him to spin and fall at speeds of around 80 mph.
The entire death-defying incident was recorded from Herndon's perspective through the camera mounted onto his helmet. At the beginning of the 4-minute video, the clip showed Herndon and his fellow skydivers preparing to jump from the plane that's thousands of feet above the Taft Stadium in Oklahoma City.
After jumping out of the plane, Herndon deployed his main parachute at around 4,000 feet. However, the chute came out spinning which then twisted its lines. This caused his descent to accelerate from 40 to 80 mph.
Fortunately, the skydiving veteran, who has been doing this extreme activity for seven years, remained calm during the entire ordeal and was able to detach the main parachute from his body before deploying his backup canopy.
"I started the jump a little nervous," he told the Associated Press. "I gave it a couple of seconds and looked at my altitude before I decided to activate my emergency procedures. It was really just muscle memory.
According to Herndon, he was only able to process what had happened to him after he landed safely on the ground. And, even though he experienced a serious malfunction that could have easily ended his life, he and the other skydivers were able to hit their mark in the middle of the stadium and deliver the game ball.
But, despite walking away with his life, he still feels bad for the parachute he lost, which according to him, costs around $2,500.
"I saved and worked hard to pay for this, and I'm just watching it drift away over the city," he said.
Although Herndon is still hoping that someone will return his lost parachute, he probably will not be able to use it since the UV rays may have already affected the overall quality of the chute.
Check out the actual footage of Herndon's near-death skydiving experience below.
