iPhone survives 14,000-foot drop in skydiving mishap

A TikTok video shows a skydiver dropping his iPhone from a plane during a dive, with it somehow surviving the 14,000-foot fall to the ground.

Dropping an iPhone can be a fear-filled occasion for most users, worrying over potential cracks to the screen or other damage. In a video doing the rounds on TikTok, a skydiver showed what could possibly be the most extreme version of that situation.

Published to the video-sharing service on February 20, the video by Hatton Smith titled "When your phone falls out of your pocket at 14,000 feet" shows him leaping from a plane, and quickly being separated from his device just after exiting. The iPhone is seen to spin and flutter away from the camera at speed.

The short video cuts to a shot of the iPhone, partially wedged into the ground "like Excalibur" as one off-screen voice put it. The iPhone is then pulled from the ground and deemed "completely fine."

@capt_rumcoffee When your phone falls out of your pocket at 14,000 feet #fail #screammovie original sound

It is unclear what model of iPhone was shown, but it was placed inside a reasonably rugged case. More importantly for its survival, the iPhone landed in ground that was very muddy, giving it a softer landing than typical.

While Apple doesn't offer a height the iPhones can survive a drop from, most rugged cases are marketed as capable of fending off a drop of about 6 feet.

This is far from the first instance of an iPhone being dropped by a skydiver during a dive, but the survival makes it a rarity. The iPhone has also encountered other tough survival situations over the years, including numerous instances of being submerged in lakes for long stretches of time.

Much like a rollercoaster or other high-octane activity, AppleInsider recommends participants stow their iPhones and other valuables safely and securely, preferably away from any activity that may cause damage or loss of the devices.

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28 Comments

bsimpsen 400 comments · 14 Years

About 1 year ago

JP234 said:

Wondering what the terminal velocity of an iPhone is? Guessing that a fall from 20-25 feet might generate the same impact force as falling from 14,000 feet.

This isn't the first iPhone to fall from a plane.
You are not the first person to wonder about terminal velocity.
I think your guess is in the ballpark.
The characteristics of the surface the phone lands on are probably the most important for determining survivability.

https://www.wired.com/2011/04/what-is-the-terminal-velocity-of-an-iphone/

larryjw 1036 comments · 9 Years

Running this info thru a terminal velocity calculator: iPhone 14 pro max is 8 oz, drop height 14,000 ft, air drag, .2 kg/m.

1,400 seconds to hit ground, maximum velocity 3 m/s, terminal velocity also 3 m/s.

charles1 91 comments · 10 Years

JP234 said:

Wondering what the terminal velocity of an iPhone is? Guessing that a fall from 20-25 feet might generate the same impact force as falling from 14,000 feet.
What do you mean? African or European iPhone?

davidw 2112 comments · 17 Years

larryjw said:

Running this info thru a terminal velocity calculator: iPhone 14 pro max is 8 oz, drop height 14,000 ft, air drag, .2 kg/m.

1,400 seconds to hit ground, maximum velocity 3 m/s, terminal velocity also 3 m/s.

That's not right. 3 m/s comes to about 7MPH, which is why it takes 1,400 seconds (about 23 minutes) to hit the ground when dropped from 14,000 ft (2.6 mi) up. I doubt an iPhone would take 23 minutes to hit the ground when dropped from a height of 14,000 ft. If that were the case, the skydiver (that dropped the iPhone) would have pass it on the way down and maybe had time see where it was falling after landing and get there to catch it.

I think you misplaced a decimal point somewhere. It should be closer to 30 m/s (70 MPH) and take 140 seconds (2.3 minutes) to hit the ground.

GrannySmith99 57 comments · 2 Years

charles1 said:

JP234 said:

Wondering what the terminal velocity of an iPhone is? Guessing that a fall from 20-25 feet might generate the same impact force as falling from 14,000 feet.

What do you mean? African or European iPhone?

It would also depend on if the iPhone was laden or unladen...