{"id":34645,"date":"2021-06-18T11:48:41","date_gmt":"2021-06-18T11:48:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/?p=34645"},"modified":"2021-06-18T14:23:33","modified_gmt":"2021-06-18T14:23:33","slug":"cypres-save-mark-lucch-lucchiaris-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/cypres-save-mark-lucch-lucchiaris-story\/","title":{"rendered":"CYPRES Save: Mark \u201cLucch\u201d Lucchiari’s story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If there is someone out there who knows how to take a hit, it is Mark \u201cLucch\u201d Lucchiari. As a professional fighter for 15 years, adept in Muay Thai, he\u2019s turned taking crushing blows into an art form<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Photo courtesy of Mark “Lucch” Lucchiari<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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But, on January 14, 2021, Lucch would meet his match: a mid-air collision that would leave him unconscious and relying on his CYPRES<\/a> for a fighting chance at survival. <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Lucch has been around skydiving since 2006. Although, because of a busy fight schedule, it\u2019s only been in the last 5 years that he could really dedicate time to his hobbies. Since retiring from fighting in 2015, Lucch has spent the last few years getting back into surfing, dirt biking, climbing, canyoning, and of course, skydiving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A jump like all the others…<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The fateful jump where Lucch nearly lost his life was his sixth jump for the day and a sunset big way for his friend\u2019s 1,000th jump. For Lucch, there was nothing particularly unusual about the exit plan or dive flow other than the size of the formation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere were 18 of us. Of this load, I was probably one of the most inexperienced. Because of the quality of the jumpers on the load, I had no worries, no ill feelings. I\u2019d done 10 and 12 ways, but I\u2019d actually never done a big way angle this size. To be honest, I didn\u2019t have any concerns. I knew every single person on the jump, and I knew how well they fly.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the start of the jump, everything went according to plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI exited and flew straight down to my slot, which was second to the left of my team leader, Mad Dog, and left enough room for one other to slot in between myself and the leader\u2026We were running somewhat steep but not as steep as a lot of these guys could run. For the level of jumpers on this angle, it was quite mild. I remember looking at Mad Dog, and then\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo courtesy of Mark “Lucch” Lucchiari<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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But then it all goes to hell<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From the outside observer, the collision happens in the blink of an eye. In an instant, this beautiful sunset skydive became a hazy struggle to survive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was in my slot, and one of the other boys, he was the second to last diver and one of the most experienced on the jump\u2026 he dove out and ended up coming in way too fast. He and the last diver out, Luke, were actually joking in the plane about how on big ways you get down to the formation at the end of the jump and how you have to really pin it down to get to it. They had a bit of a laugh about not wanting to miss out on this one and needing to get down there as quickly as possible.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“But, when going that speed and covering that much distance, by the time he realized he was coming in too hot and tried to pull out, his knee had hit me in the back of the head. [The collision] knocked me out cold and ruptured every ligament in his knee and caused multiple fractures in his tib, fib, and femur.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark provides a harrowing account of what followed after the collision: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have a little memory of being on my back, and I thought what am I on my back for? But it was like a dream. You know when you\u2019re trying to do something but you can\u2019t. I was on my back thinking \u201cwhy can\u2019t I roll over to my belly?\u201d At some point, I did roll over, but then, I can\u2019t really remember too much more [of the freefall].\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While unconscious, two of the other jumpers from the angle dive fought to save Lucch\u2019s life: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTwo of the other boys who saw me get taken out tried to get down to me. I dropped out of the formation like a rock. Luke gets right up to me, and by then, I\u2019ve flipped back onto my belly. He can see me grabbing my head and my helmet. To him, it looks like I\u2019m trying to do something with my visor or something with my helmet. The impact crushed my G3 into the back of my head. In the footage, you see me get stable, and then start spinning out of control. Luke would get close to me to try to pull my reserve, and then, in the video, it looks like I get a little bit stable. But then, I start flipping out of control again. He tries to fly to me again, and that\u2019s when I start flipping head over feet. He gets to the height at which he has to pitch. He pitches, and I keep falling. It was horrible for him. He\u2019s watching me fall to the ground, and in his audio, you can hear him screaming my name. In the footage, I become this little dark dot, and it looks like I\u2019ve gone in. But all of a sudden, you see this other beautiful little dot: a white canopy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo courtesy of Mark “Lucch” Lucchiari<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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CYPRES save<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It isn\u2019t until just before the reserve parachute deployed that Lucch actually regained consciousness:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy next bit of clarity is coming to while I\u2019m going through 1,500ft. I remember looking at the ground, seeing the grass and the trees and the road very clearly, and thinking, \u201cI\u2019m going in. Why?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I was so confused. I really wondered if it was a dream, but I realized it wasn\u2019t. I had this moment of sadness for my wife and my two kids, but I also had this moment of contentment as well. But then, all of a sudden, I had this little feeling like no, it\u2019s not over yet. Don\u2019t give up yet.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I had my cutaway handle in my hand, and in my footage, you see me pass it from my right hand, to my left hand, and then back again I\u2019m holding it in front of my face, trying to figure it out. I was so disoriented that I didn\u2019t complete my emergency procedures. I\u2019d cutaway and not pulled my reserve. I was actually quite disappointed in myself that I didn\u2019t do that.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Because I didn\u2019t realize that I hadn\u2019t pulled my reserve. I thought maybe my reserve was stuck on my back. I started reaching behind me, and that\u2019s when the CYPRES fired and my reserve started deploying. On my Dekunu altimeter, the data is incredible. The CYPRES fires at 750 feet. The Dekunu registered the first speed change at 529 feet, and then it registered my canopy finally fully inflating and starting to move forward at 126 feet.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I do remember [the reserve] opening but was still so disoriented and confused that I didn\u2019t do any inputs at all, and the canopy ride was only about 3 seconds. [Where I landed] was right beside a main road with a tree line on the left side and power lines on the right that I barely miss. But somehow, miraculously, I land on this beautiful bit of green grass. Once I land, I see Roger coming in hot [under canopy]. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He looks like he hits pretty hard so I yell, ‘You alright buddy?’… He comes running over, and says ‘Am I alright!? Are YOU alright!? That\u2019s when I asked him what happened.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lucch’s recorded POV<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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