Surely anyway Catholic theology would dictate that their intent was critical : - did they commit suicide, to achieve a less painful death, or were they grasping at a last, billion to one shot of life ?
As noted earlier, people have survived jumps like that…an air hostess survived a 33,000 feet fall from a disintegrating airplane. If they knew that their current situation led only to certain death, and they had no other options than the billion to one shot, then taking that shot wasn’t suicide anyway. Since no-one can know what was in their minds anyway, which would be necessary to judge intent, I don’t see how even the most rigorous Catholic theologian can declare these deaths to be suicides.
A Catholic friend, whom I had known since we were both little, committed suicide some years ago and she was not consided to have committed a mortal sin by the local priest.
Secondly, aren’t there people who have tried to commit suicide by jumping off a skyscraper, only to be blown back into it many floors down by the wind?
Looking at pictures of the jumpers leaves me feeling sick and angry.
It’s a grim point, but suicide-by-jumping would give you a chance to repent, wouldn’t it? Assuming you don’t necessarily need a priest there in an emergency.