A 41-year-old paratrooper remains in very serious condition after an in-air collision with a jumping partner during a Sky Time operation near Castelló. The incident occurred at an altitude where a properly deployed emergency parachute prevented a fatal plane crash, but the impact left him unconscious and forced a hard landing near a fence at a country house in the Mota de la Marjaleria area of Serradal de Castelló.
The events unfolded last Friday around 3:30 p.m. two Polish friends, both skydivers with a private jump company operating near Castelló Airport, had just exited the aircraft. After ascending to their required altitude, approximately 4,000 meters, the pair collided during the free-fall phase. One paratrooper, Rafał S., aged 41, sustained a blow to the head that caused him to lose consciousness and begin an uncontrolled descent. A properly functioning emergency parachute slowed the fall, but the descent continued to an altitude and speed that posed severe risk.
The poor boy’s condition was very bad. We were eating and there was a big accident
Despite attempts to regain consciousness, the injured climber continued to fall without a controlled landing. He ultimately crashed into the outer fence of a country house in the vicinity of Serradal de Castelló. The impact—frontal and brutal—caused serious fractures and facial trauma, including multiple jaw injuries and injuries to other facial structures. The second paratrooper attempted to follow but landed in a nearby orchard, escaping serious injury and medical need. Both affected civilians and sport parachutists crashed a few hundred meters from the Grao de Castelló airport, their intended destination for the jump.
Recorded with its own GoPro camera
The entire sequence—from the mid-air collision to the ground impact near the house—was captured on a GoPro mounted on the helmet. This footage was later incorporated into the police report and is part of the investigation being handled by the National Police. The file has been submitted to the courts for further proceedings.
Emergency services were alerted promptly by a resident of La Mota who contacted 112 and dispatched an advanced life support ambulance. A witness described the scene, noting the severity of the injuries and the shock of bystanders. Another person affected by debris caused by the fall required medical attention at the scene.
The victim was evacuated to General Hospital with multiple traumas and spent three days in intensive care. Sources from the Emergency Information and Coordination Center indicated that his condition improved over the weekend, and he was moved to a standard hospital room on Monday after stabilization.
Three identical cases in 12 years
This incident mirrors a pattern seen at the Castellón airport over the past dozen years. In December 2010, two athletes collided in mid-air during a training exercise. They fell into the sea, where rescuers evacuated them before medical care arrived at Castellón General Hospital. One of the divers was unconscious upon impact, but the emergency parachute was deployed in time to save his life. A third parachutist also required hospital care for hypothermia after the air collision.
The second episode occurred four years later, in June 2018, when two paratroopers collided at an altitude around 4,000 meters while jumping from the same aircraft and operating under Sky Time. Neither man lost consciousness; instead, they crashed into a tree and then a house. As in the current case, the emergency parachute opened, and the second athlete touched down close to a residential area near the Castellón airport. In both recent incidents, jumps followed the same flight path and involved the same company.
These cases underscore ongoing safety concerns and the need for stringent review of training procedures, equipment checks, and flight protocols for high-altitude parachute operations near populated areas. Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the in-flight dynamics that led to the collision and the sequence of events following the opening of the emergency parachute.
At present, investigators are compiling evidence, including the GoPro footage, witness statements, and medical reports, to determine causation and any contributing factors. The goal remains to ensure accountability and to prevent similar tragedies in the future, while supporting the injured and their families as the legal process unfolds. (Source attribution: National Police)