What are the odds of dying while skydiving?

[ad name=”ATO Right Banner”]Skydiving, a remarkable sport that continues to grow in popularity, has been around for hundreds of years. The original design of the parachute is often attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. He dropped the first parachute off of the Tower of Pisa in Italy. One common question that arises is what are the odds of dying skydiving?

If you make one jump per year, your odds of dying skydiving are roughly 1 in 100,000. In the United States, there are generally around 30 skydiving fatalities per year compared to the over 3 million completed jumps. These numbers were published by the United States Parachuting Association.

When compared to a routine daily task like driving your vehicle (which roughly has fatality odds of 1 in 6,000 of dying in an accident in a given year), skydiving is actually a relatively safe sport. Even when compared to the odds of a fatality by slipping in your bathtub (1 in 11,000), one skydiving jump with a certified instructor is statistically a safer alternative.

While a small majority of skydiving accidents occur due to technical issues or natural causes, a large majority of the skydiving fatalities experienced every year are easily avoidable.

The most common cause of skydiving accidents is due to jumpers getting carried away with their own ego which results in extremely unnecessary risks. This type of hothead risk taker that pushes the limits beyond safe bounds is a dangerous jumper who is a risk to everyone around them. These types of jumpers should be avoided at all costs.

Skydiving is an extremely thrilling and addicting experience but it must be approached with respect to stay safe. The majority of first-time jumpers are required to start by doing tandem jumps while attached to an experienced skydiving instructor.

The bottom line is that skydiving is a safe adventure and the odds of dying in a skydiving accident are extremely low, especially when all proper care, handling, and safety procedures have been followed. We recommend always jumping with an experienced and reputable skydiving school and always making sure you do your research before choosing your preferred instructor, pilot, and crew.