Camera Records Fall From Plane And Survives

A YouTuber named Mia Munselle recently uploaded this video taken from a camera that appears to have been accidentally dropped from a plane transporting skydivers.

From the brief description of the video, the uploader states that the camera was found in a pig pen, eight months after the apparent fall – presumably the dates were taken from the filenames or metadata of the videos on the memory card.

Judging by the fisheye distortion, we’re assuming that the camera was of the action-camera variety, most likely a GoPro. This might also explain how it survived the drop itself and kept recording, as the waterproof housing must have protected it.

Some of the comments on YouTube are claiming that the video is faked, with the purpose of going viral. While it’s hard to confirm wether it’s legitimate or not, we’d say that it’s either the real deal, or a very well produced fake.

The distorted image that appears to stabilise right before the camera lands in the pig pen is a result of the rotation of the camera matching the framerate. In other words, as the camera is spinning, it’s capturing each frame at the same angle in each rotation. A similar effect is demonstrating when videoing a car’s wheels or a helicopter’s blades – sometimes the wheel rims or blades appear to stand still or move in reverse. As for the diagonal distortion, this is caused by the sensor’s rolling shutter.

So what do you think – real, or fake? Either way, the ending is brilliant!

On the topic of skydivers and GoPros, watch this helmet-cam video that recorded an unconscious skydiver’s heroic rescue: