BLACKSBURG, Va. — A military veteran and motivational speaker who crashed into the Lane Stadium scoreboard during Virginia Tech's spring football game Saturday afternoon has shared details of the incident that left him hanging from the damaged jumbotron in front of thousands of stunned Hokie fans.
Pasha Palanker, who identified himself as the skydiver in a Monday social media post, said unpredicted wind shears up to 27 knots — nearly double his team's 14-knot safety limit — caused him to crash.
"The impact knocked the air out of me," Palanker wrote on Instagram about the impact. "For a second... nothing. No sound. No breath. Just me... hanging from the jumbotron."
The crash broke off portions of the "C" and "H" letters in "Tech" on the scoreboard.
The crowd, initially excited for new Virginia Tech football coach James Franklin's first spring game, fell silent upon Palanker's impact.
There was a feeling among some in the crowd that the crash may have killed the skydiver.
Once it was apparent he survived, there was a fear the wind would blow him off of the scoreboard to his death.
Palanker said he immediately released a flag he was carrying and focused on controlling his parachute while managing injuries to his shoulder, back and ribs.
Drawing on his combat experience, he said he remained calm despite the precarious situation.
"Combat teaches you something, not how to be fearless... but how to function anyway," he wrote.
Rescue efforts became visible to those inside the stadium at about 3:10 p.m., approximately 10 minutes after the crash, when firefighters attempted to reach Palanker with a ladder truck.
The crowd cheered when that first rescue equipment appeared.
When that failed, a ladder truck with a bucket and two firefighters arrived at 3:19 p.m. to complete the rescue.
Palanker was seen walking out of the stadium under his own power at approximately 3:50 p.m.
Virginia Tech officials said the skydiver "was safely secured and is currently stable" following the incident.
The university later stated that the "quick actions" of first responders had "safely returned today's parachuter to the ground without injury."
"Our primary focus remains on their well-being," Virginia Tech officials said. "We extend our sincere appreciation to the first responders, event staff, and medical personnel for their swift, coordinated and professional response."
Palanker, who works as a corporate trainer and speaker on emotional resilience and mental health, said the experience reinforced lessons learned from previous challenging moments.
"The hardest moments in life don't break you — they forge you," he wrote.
Video of the crash and rescue quickly spread on social media where it was viewed millions of times.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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