Skydiving Instructor Plunges 820 Feet to His Death in Cliff Jump Gone Wrong

A chilling video showed the untimely death of a skydiving instructor as he plunged off the side of a cliff with a malfunctioning parachute.

Jose de Alencar Lima Junior, a 49-year-old Army veteran who served as a paratrooper in the Brazilian Army’s Parachute Infantry Brigade, attempted to speed fly off a cliff in Sao Conrado, Brazil, on Sunday morning. However, as he ran off the edge, his parachute barely opened—and he fell to his death.

The video is absolutely chilling. It’s evident Lima had no idea about his faulty parachute prior to jumping. But of course, by then, it was too late.

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A group of witnesses watched in horror as Lima plunged about 820 feet and landed on rocks in a forested area below. One of them said he seemed to have tripped in a hole before falling, per the New York Post. 

Lima’s sister-in-law, who requested to remain anonymous, said his family has “no idea what could have happened.”

“But he was a professional skydiver for 20 years. He was experienced,” she said. “What happened was an accident.”

While it was certainly an accident, Lima did not jump from an official ramp, according to Clube Sao Conrado de Voo Livre (CSCLV). Rather, he plunged off the cliff from an off-the-path location—one that is deemed dangerous by experts.

“The pilot did not use the ramp to take off. The spot he chose for takeoff is bad and even prohibited,” the CSCLV said. “The CSCLV is not responsible for the incident. With that clarification, may the pilot rest in peace.”

Regardless of whether Lima took the proper precautions, his death is devastating.