# The greatest fall **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 14, 2010, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-fall/524907 "2010-01-14T07:34:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-fall/524907/1 "2010-01-14T07:34:40Z")
What was the greatest height from which a person plummeted, free-fall, to his death? Not inside a plane, and not with a working parachute. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-fall/524907/2 "2010-01-14T09:28:17Z")
Off the top of my head, I’d have to say [low earth orbit](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Columbia_disaster). The shuttle broke up on re-entry, so it’s possible some of the crew was in free fall, although I doubt they would have survived to hit the ground. ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-fall/524907/3 "2010-01-14T17:54:20Z")
[18,000 feet without a parachute.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Alkemade) Has to be one of the top contenders. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-fall/524907/4 "2010-01-14T17:55:55Z")
> [@Rodd\_Hill](#): > > [18,000 feet without a parachute.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Alkemade) Has to be one of the top contenders. He doesn’t meet one minor criteria in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-fall/524907/5 "2010-01-14T18:00:56Z")
There was a russian space capsule that the chutes did not open and it probably hit solid ground at hundred of miles an hour. He was alive till it hit the ground, though he was inside at the time. There have also been a couple commercial airliners accidents that have had folks coming out of the plane sans chutes. The Aloha Airlines one comes to mind. If they were near cruising altitude it would be between 20 and 30 thousand feet. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-fall/524907/6 "2010-01-14T18:09:51Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > The Aloha Airlines one comes to mind. If they were near cruising altitude it would be between 20 and 30 thousand feet. Googling says 24,000’. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-fall/524907/7 "2010-01-14T18:28:09Z")
Just noting that there’s no particular difference between falls once you exceed approximately 1000 feet - that’s about how long it takes a person in a flat position to reach terminal velocity. One thousand feet or ten thousand feet, you’ll hit just as hard. ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-fall/524907/8 "2010-01-14T18:28:09Z")
Oops! I was focussing on the “not inside a plane, and not with a working parachute.” ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-fall/524907/9 "2010-01-14T18:34:12Z")
I realize this isn’t what the OP is looking for (since it’s survivors, not deaths), but thought I’d post just because it’s so damn cool. [Free Fall Research Page](http://www.greenharbor.com/fffolder/ffresearch.html) ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-fall/524907/10 "2010-01-14T18:42:06Z")
[Pan Am Flight 103](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am_Flight_103) was cruising at 31,000 feet (9,400 m) when the bomb went off. Some passengers were pulled out of the plane as it disintegrated; others fell the 31,000 feet still strapped in their seats. It is hypothesized (although not certain) that some of these passengers were not injured by initial explosion. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-fall/524907/11 "2010-01-14T18:44:04Z")
NM ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-fall/524907/12 "2010-01-14T18:56:32Z")
Oh, and there was that skydiver/videographer that was so engrossed in doing the videoing that he jumped outa the plane without his chute. That was probably in the 10 to 15 thou range. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-fall/524907/13 "2010-01-14T19:35:37Z")
[JAT Flight 367](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JAT_Flight_367) was at 33,000 feet (10,160 meters) when it broke up in flight, probably due to a terrorist bomb. Vesna Vulovic, who holds the current free fall survival record, was on that flight. She survived strapped into her seat, which was attached to a small bit of the plane. She still ended up pretty badly hurt. Since she was the only survivor of the crash, everyone else (27 people) fell from 33,000 feet and died. Some were strapped into their seats and wouldn’t qualify for the OP, but some didn’t have their seat belt on and fell all 33,000 feet with no chute, and weren’t inside any part of the wreckage. Their bodies were found in the snow.