Re:parachute necessary? (Score 1)

No way. When somebody falls/jumps from a plane and fails to open their parachute above the Ocean, they're toast. Terminal Velocity is dependent upon the atmospheric pressure and also the temperature, but it is generally around 120 mph (192 km/h). 192km/h == 53 m/s, which is pretty fast. I'm sure you've flopped a jump off of a diving board before and managed to land right on your back, right? Well that hurt, I bet. I know my back was red for a week after. And I hit maybe going at 2-3 m/s. Try hitting at 53m/s. It's pretty much the equivalent of landing on cement.

I'm sure there are a FEW cases of people surviving, but the majority usually die upon impact.