Footage: Arizona Skydiver Burns Chute to Show why Spare is Needed

A skydiving instructor from Arizona has filmed a video apparently explaining how you can lose an already deployed parachute to burning aircraft debris and why you need a spare chute to save your life.

The parachute goes up in flames and burns up totally within a matter of seconds.

Brianne Thompson, of the AXIS Flight School, used a flare gun to set her parachute on fire in midair, the video published on the school's YouTube channel showed.

The video should probably also go with a warning not to try this at home. Thompson is a professional skydiver regularly competing at a national level and with two medals from the World Skydiving Championships under her belt.