Jello wrote:

"I'd see lightning. Boy, do I remember that lightning. I never exactly heard the thunder; I felt it. I remember falling through hail, and that worried me; I was afraid the hail would tear the chute. Sometimes I was falling through heavy water—I'd take a breath and breathe in a mouthful of water. Sometimes I had the sensation I was looping the chute. I was blown up and down as much as 6,000 feet at a time. It went on for a long time, like being on a very fast elevator, with strong blasts of compressed air hitting you."

Man parachutes from 47,000 feet through cumulonimbus.

What's the point of having a chute open at this altitude, unless you're trying to slow yourself down as much as possible? You could probably reduce the risk and slow yourself down just as much by turning parallel.

RE: The Nightmare Fall - TIME