The Victoria Cilliers Parachute Sabotage: How a Cheating Husband's Murder Plot Failed at 4,000 Feet
In April 2015, Victoria Cilliers survived what should have been a fatal skydiving accident when both her main and reserve parachutes failed during a routine jump. Plummeting from 4,000 feet, she miraculously lived after landing in a freshly plowed field, though she sustained serious injuries. What initially appeared to be a tragic equipment failure soon revealed itself as something far more sinister—a calculated murder attempt.
The investigation uncovered that Victoria's husband, Emil Cilliers, had deliberately tampered with her parachutes by removing critical safety components called slinks. Behind his facade as a devoted husband and father lay a complex double life of affairs, sex workers, and mounting debt. Police discovered Emil was £20,000 in debt and apparently viewed his wife's life insurance as the solution to his financial problems, all while pursuing a serious relationship with another woman.
Key Takeaways
Victoria Cilliers miraculously survived a 4,000-foot fall when both her main and reserve parachutes were deliberately sabotaged.
Investigation revealed her husband Emil had removed critical safety components from her parachute in an attempt to claim her life insurance.
Behind the couple's seemingly perfect marriage, Emil led a double life involving affairs, regular visits to sex workers, and significant financial debt.
The Skydiving Catastrophe
Victoria's Life-Threatening Fall
Victoria Sers, an experienced skydiver with over 2,500 jumps to her name, faced a terrifying moment on Easter Sunday 2015 when both her main and reserve parachutes failed. As she plummeted toward Earth from 4,000 feet up, Victoria felt a sense of overwhelming fear. "I remember feeling tearful, feeling scared, thinking this just isn't right," she later recalled. The malfunctioning reserve canopy was something she had never witnessed before in her extensive skydiving career.
The free-fall quickly turned into what skydivers call a "death spiral"—a situation generally considered unsurvivable. Victoria's equipment was flapping uselessly above her as she hurtled toward the ground at dangerous speed. Without functioning parachutes, her chances of survival seemed almost nonexistent.
Witnesses to the Nightmare
From the ground, Victoria's friend Rob Cams watched in horror as the disaster unfolded. He described the chilling sight: "It looked like somebody's chucked a bag of washing out the aircraft. It was just a massive white flapping canopy and quite clearly a body underneath it." Despite his instinct to look away, Rob found himself unable to tear his eyes from the horrifying scene playing out above.
After Victoria crashed to the ground, Rob immediately sprinted across the field to where she had landed. "I just had this feeling of impending doom that I'm going to be greeted with a corpse," he remembered. What he found instead was nothing short of miraculous. Victoria was alive—badly injured, but incredibly, still breathing. Rob later described the moment: "All of a sudden she did open her mouth and she started mumbling, which was a phenomenal feeling."
The Recovery and Criminal Discovery
Victoria's life was saved by the freshly plowed field that cushioned her impact. While she suffered serious injuries, the soft ground prevented what should have been certain death. But as Victoria began her physical recovery, a much more shocking revelation awaited her.
What initially appeared to be a tragic equipment malfunction was revealed to be something far more sinister. Upon inspection, investigators discovered that crucial components called slinks had been deliberately removed from Victoria's parachute rig—a modification that would virtually guarantee equipment failure. This wasn't an accident; it was attempted murder.
The prime suspect was Victoria's own husband, Emile Sers, a sergeant in the British Army. Police investigation revealed that Emile:
Had been seen handling Victoria's skydiving gear before the jump
Was engaged in multiple affairs, including a serious relationship with a woman named Stephanie Goller
Had accumulated £20,000 in debt from his secret lifestyle of visiting sex workers and dating apps
Stood to benefit from Victoria's life insurance payout
When Victoria learned the truth about her husband's double life and his attempt to kill her, she was devastated. "I was just so angry," she said later. "Let down, betrayed." The fairy tale life she thought she had built with a charming, romantic partner had been shattered by the revelation that the man she loved had tried to end her life.
Unveiling the Malevolent Plot
Early Warning Signs
Victoria Silkis, an experienced skydiver with over 2,500 jumps, faced a terrifying ordeal on Easter Sunday 2015. During what should have been a routine jump, both her main and reserve parachutes catastrophically failed. As she plummeted toward the earth from 4,000 feet, she felt fear wash over her while thinking "this just isn't right." Her friend Rob Camps, watching from below, described the horrifying sight as resembling "a bag of washing" thrown from an aircraft—just a flapping white canopy with a human form beneath it.
Miraculously, Victoria survived the fall. A freshly plowed field cushioned her impact enough to prevent fatal injuries, though she sustained serious trauma. When Rob reached her, he expected to find a corpse but instead discovered she was still alive and mumbling—a moment he described as "phenomenal." What seemed at first to be a tragic accident would soon reveal itself as something far more sinister.
Technical Evidence of Sabotage
Examination of Victoria's parachute equipment revealed deliberate tampering that shocked even experienced skydivers. The investigation found critical slinks had been deliberately removed from her parachute rig. These components are essential safety features that provide additional protection during a jump:
Component Normal Function What Was Found Slinks Crucial safety elements that help ensure parachute stability Completely removed from Victoria's equipment
This type of sabotage required specialized knowledge. Only someone intimately familiar with parachute packing procedures would understand where to find these components and recognize that their removal would cause catastrophic failure. The technical nature of the tampering immediately raised suspicions that this was not a random equipment failure but a calculated attempt on Victoria's life.
When detectives Matthew Henna and Paul Franklin began investigating, they received a crucial tip from one of Victoria's friends. The friend expressed concerns about Victoria's relationship with her husband, Emil Silkis, a sergeant in the British Army. She specifically mentioned that if Emil had been anywhere near the parachute center when the incident occurred, she would suspect his involvement. This information proved remarkably accurate—Emil had indeed been at the center and was seen carrying Victoria's skydiving gear after taking their infant daughter to the toilet.
The investigation revealed Emil's shocking double life. He confessed to maintaining an affair with a woman named Stephanie Goller whom he'd met on a ski trip. Additionally, he admitted to regularly visiting sex workers, using dating apps, and frequenting swinging clubs. Emil's extensive extramarital activities had left him £20,000 in debt, making Victoria's life insurance policy an attractive solution to his financial troubles.
For Victoria, learning these truths was devastating. What she had believed was a loving marriage had been "based on a tissue of lies." The parachute sabotage wasn't a freak accident—it was a calculated murder attempt by her husband, who had apparently tried to kill her once before in the same week.
Vicky and Emil's Journey
Their First Meeting and Love Story
Emil Sas, a British army sergeant, crossed paths with Vicky in 2009, creating an immediate connection. Vicky was captivated by his charismatic personality, noting how "his whole face would light up when he smiled" and how he made her feel like "the center of his universe." Their mutual love for adrenaline-fueled activities strengthened their bond. The relationship progressed quickly, leading to marriage and the birth of two children within a few years.
Behind the Perfect Façade
To outside observers, Vicky and Emil appeared to be the ideal couple. Their life together seemed picture-perfect, with Vicky believing she had found her "fairy tale ending." However, beneath this carefully constructed image lay troubling secrets. Emil was living a complex double life that included regular visits to sex workers, affairs, and participation in swinging clubs. His activities led to significant financial problems, accumulating £20,000 in debt. While Vicky remained unaware, Emil's deception created a growing divide between the life they shared publicly and his hidden reality.
The Investigation Takes Shape
Detectives Uncover Disturbing Evidence
The investigation began with an unexpected phone call at the police station. Initially, officers had no reason to suspect foul play in what appeared to be a tragic skydiving accident. Detective Constable Matt Henna and Detective Inspector Paul Franklin were assigned to the case, unaware of the dark path their inquiry would soon take.
A friend of Victoria's approached the detectives with concerns about Victoria's relationship with her husband Emil. The friend expressed doubts about the couple's seemingly perfect marriage and suggested that if Emil had been near the parachute center during the incident, they should consider him a suspect.
This tip proved remarkably accurate. Emil had indeed been at the skydiving facility on that Easter Sunday in 2015. Witnesses confirmed seeing him carrying Victoria's skydiving equipment after taking their infant daughter to the toilet—a crucial detail that would later become significant in the case.
Emil's Shocking Confession
When brought in for questioning, Emil Sors immediately revealed aspects of his life that stunned the investigators. Without much prompting, he admitted to maintaining a double life that Victoria knew nothing about.
"He instantly confessed to having an affair with a woman named Stephanie Goller whom he'd met on a ski trip months earlier," the detectives noted. What surprised them most was his willingness to volunteer information about his extensive infidelity.
Emil disclosed that he had:
Been seeing sex workers twice weekly
Meeting women through dating apps like Tinder
Frequenting swinging clubs regularly
Maintaining separate phones and computers for his secret life
The detectives couldn't understand why Emil would freely admit to such behavior. They concluded he likely knew they would discover this information through digital forensics and witness interviews, so he chose to reveal it himself.
Financial Motives Exposed
As investigators dug deeper, a troubling financial situation emerged that pointed to a possible motive. Emil had accumulated approximately £20,000 in debt, largely through his secret lifestyle and extravagant spending habits.
The investigation revealed:
Financial Factor Details Debt Amount £20,000 Primary Expenses Sex workers, personal indulgences Solution Sought Victoria's life insurance payout
Emil's financial troubles appeared to create the perfect storm of motivation when combined with his desire to leave his marriage. Investigators determined he "couldn't see a way out of this debt" and believed Victoria's life insurance policy would solve his problems while allowing him to start fresh with his girlfriend.
The first police interview with Emil lasted six hours. Afterward, officers took the unusual step of preventing him from returning home to Victoria. Detective Franklin had the difficult task of explaining the situation to Victoria, who was still recovering from her near-fatal fall.
When told about Emil's affair and apparent desire to leave her, Victoria was devastated. "She made a horrible, heart-wrenching, guttural howl," investigators described. The revelation completely shattered her world, exposing that her seemingly perfect marriage had been built on deception.
Uncovering Deception
Victoria Discovers Emil's Infidelity
Victoria Sers' world shattered when Detective Franklin revealed the devastating truth about her husband. During a police investigation following her near-fatal parachute accident, detectives found Emil Sers had been leading an extensive double life. Police interviews with Emil revealed shocking information that they felt compelled to share with Victoria. Rather than the devoted husband she believed him to be, Emil had been engaged in numerous sexual relationships outside their marriage.
The revelation came as investigators prohibited Emil from returning home after his initial 6-hour police interview. When Detective Franklin met with Victoria to explain the situation, he had to inform her that Emil had confessed to a serious affair with a woman named Stephanie Goller, whom he had met during a ski trip months earlier.
The Devastating Emotional Blow
"I was just so angry... let down, betrayed," Victoria expressed after learning the extent of her husband's deception. The moment Detective Franklin revealed Emil's infidelity, Victoria released what he described as "a heart-wrenching, guttural howl cry" as her entire world imploded before her.
Beyond the emotional devastation, Victoria struggled to reconcile this information with the man she thought she knew. The Emil she had fallen for—the charming sergeant with a bright smile who made her feel like "the center of his universe"—was now unrecognizable to her.
Rob Camps, the parachute club secretary, had noticed Emil's suspicious behavior immediately following Victoria's accident. When Rob called to inform Emil of his wife's serious injuries, Emil remained unsettlingly "cool and calm" about the situation—a reaction that struck Rob as odd even though he wasn't a detective.
Victoria Confronts Emil's Secret Existence
As the investigation deepened, Victoria was forced to acknowledge the elaborate secret life Emil had constructed. He maintained separate phones and computers for his clandestine activities. Emil had accumulated approximately £20,000 in debt financing his extramarital lifestyle, which detectives believed provided a financial motive for attempting to kill Victoria to collect her life insurance.
Emil's confession to police was surprisingly comprehensive:
Emil's Secret Activities Frequency Visiting sex workers Twice weekly Meeting women on Tinder Regularly Attending swinging clubs Frequently
"He had almost like a separate identity," Victoria noted, struggling to comprehend how thoroughly he had compartmentalized his life. The man who appeared to be a devoted husband and father to their two children had systematically constructed an entirely different existence away from his family.
The investigation revealed that what Victoria had initially believed was a terrifying skydiving accident was actually a calculated murder attempt by the man she had married and trusted completely.
