r/theydidthemath • u/Fizzerolli • 3d ago

[request] Assuming fresh powdery snow, how deep would it have to be for the paratrooper to survive, if possible?

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My son sent me this. My immediate thought based on nothing is that it’s unsurvivable regardless of the depth.

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u/NoMansSkyWasAlright 3d ago

With the old T10 paracutes, it would've been 800 feet in training, 500 feet for some actual combat jumps from an aircraft moving at ~140 knots. With the newer T11s, it's now 1100 feet in training and if there's been a combat jump since the new model parachute dropped then I certainly don't know about it.

Source: Was with the 82nd airborne.

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u/electrogeek8086 3d ago

How survivable is a 500 feet drop without a parachute? At first glance it doesn't seem that high.

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u/ErisGrey 3d ago

I survived. At the time of my accident, I was one of 8 people.

https://www.reddit.com/r/a:t5_29marg/comments/e5pedf/my_injuries_and_what_made_me_open_this_subreddit/

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u/NoMansSkyWasAlright 3d ago

Shit dude. I definitely thought I might know you for a minute but the guy I know had his incident happen in ‘14 or ‘15. Also I don’t think he was nearly as badly injured and his was an incident of someone with a partial malfunction landing in his chute as they were coming down.