Skydive Chicago in Ottawa narrowly misses world record after 19 attempts

Effort was cut from 200 to 170 skydivers Friday to try to break record

After 19 attempts throughout the week, the team at Skydive Chicago near Ottawa narrowly missed breaking the world record by creating a 200-person pattern in mid-air.

It was the team’s second attempt since 2018, when poor weather created too many difficulties to overcome. The group attempted to break the Vertical World Record set at Skydive Chicago in 2015 when 164 people performed a head-down formation during their skydive.

Though they aimed for a record with 200 skydivers, the effort was cut to 170 to try again Friday. The decision was based on where the group was and the time/jumps remaining. The attempt came close on the second try with 170 jumpers, by accounts from SkyDive Chicago, but fell short.

Inclement weather caused the team to lose at least one attempt this week.