I fell 900ft to the ground - and survived
Life Changing
BBC
4.6 • 804 Ratings
🗓️ 20 May 2026
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Growing up in a military family, it was no surprise when Rob Bugden decided to join the RAF. Despite professing that he had no head for heights, he trained to become a parachute instructor – eager to face his fears head-on.
Setting off for a routine training jump one fateful day, he had no idea that a terrifying mid-air collision would send him hurtling 900ft to the ground. Miraculously, Rob survived – but with life-changing injuries.
Armed with a fantastic family and RAF colleagues, a stubborn streak a mile wide, and an infectious sense of humour, he is facing that challenge inch by inch.
Rob talks to Dr Sian Williams about adapting to a new normal and still holding firm to the values and character that make him special.
Producer: Tom Alban
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:07.3 | On BBC Sounds, there are podcasts to help you look after your body and your mind. |
| 0:12.7 | From increasing your immunity to feeling more confident. |
| 0:16.6 | Or tips on how to focus. |
| 0:18.5 | Sorry, what will you say? |
| 0:19.7 | If it matters to you, it matters to us. |
| 0:22.6 | Feel good inside of them. |
| 0:24.3 | With What's Up Docs. |
| 0:25.9 | And Complex with Kimberly Wilson. |
| 0:27.9 | Listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:30.7 | You're about to listen to the latest series of Life-changing. |
| 0:34.6 | Episodes will be released weekly wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 0:39.6 | But if you can't wait, you can listen to the latest episodes a whole month earlier than anywhere else. |
| 0:46.0 | First, on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:48.8 | Hello and welcome to Life-Changing, the series that explores powerful moments that transform everything. |
| 0:55.5 | Sometimes it's down to split seconds. |
| 0:58.7 | You're doing something you've done a hundred times before and then bang. |
| 1:02.6 | Out of the blue comes an event which parachutes you into a very different place. |
| 1:08.0 | When my guest today jumped out of a plane, his confidence was high, his shoot was fine, |
| 1:14.9 | and then he began falling from almost a thousand feet towards a life which became, as he |
| 1:21.1 | describes it, a hell of a mess. He says his stubbornness was one of the things that helped him |
| 1:26.9 | survive, and he's here now. |
... |
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