BLACKSBURG, Va. – A skydiver carrying the American flag crashed into the scoreboard at Virginia Tech’s spring game Saturday, leaving him suspended above the concrete below and sending a jolt of fear through the crowd.
The game was delayed for nearly an hour while first responders worked to bring the skydiver down from the scoreboard. Video of the incident went viral, drawing reaction from fans both inside the stadium and watching from home.
Of the three skydivers who attempted to land in the stadium, only one touched down successfully. A second aborted and landed safely on the practice field behind the scoreboard. The parachute from the crash remained stuck to the scoreboard after the incident.
‘I saw this dude getting stuck in the board’
Chris Magero, who was sitting in the student section when it happened, said the crowd’s reaction tipped him off before he even turned around.
“I heard the reactions before I saw it happen,” Magero said. “I turned around and I saw this dude getting stuck in the board, and then I just saw him like smack into the C and the H. But it was insane.”
Virginia Tech student Nicholas Shire said his fear quickly shifted when he realized the skydiver was stuck — not falling.
“I also saw when he initially hit, he almost fell off,” Shire said. “I was more concerned about that as well. I was glad that he got stuck up there rather than just falling off.”
Molly Mountcastle, another Virginia Tech student, said she watched the video after a friend sent it to her.
“I just thought it looked pretty bad. Like, he hit it pretty hard,” Mountcastle said. “I was just hoping he was okay and I felt bad he had to be up there for so long.”
Wind gusts below advisory threshold, NWS says
Many in attendance pointed to wind as a possible cause of the accident. But the National Weather Service office in Blacksburg said conditions Saturday afternoon did not meet the threshold for a wind advisory.
Meteorologist Nick Fillo said gusts reached up to 17 miles per hour from the south-southwest during the middle of the afternoon — well below the 40 mph threshold needed to trigger an advisory.
“We’ll expect to put out a wind advisory when we have winds of 40 miles per hour greater,” Fillo said.
Fans still want to see it again
Despite the scare, many fans said they would welcome the spectacle back — and hope the skydiver gets a shot at redemption.
“I love when they do that, I love when they have the flag on them. I think it’s really cool,” Mountcastle said. “I think it was just unfortunate timing. I think the wind was really bad.”
Magero was equally enthusiastic about a do-over.
“If they have the same guy do it again and he nails it, I think it’s gonna be huge,” he said. “I’ll be there supporting.”