'Final regret' of man who thought he was dead after parachute failed at 8,000ft

There's probably all sorts of things running through your mind when you're hurtling towards the ground at 30mph knowing there is nothing you can do about the impending crash landing - but for Craig Stapleton, it was simply regret.

The 62-year-old had been attempting to perform a complex stunt with fellow skydiving fanatic and nurse Katie Hanson, when a series of unfortunate events took place... which he thought had sealed his doomed fate.

The daredevil duo had headed up to the skies with the intention of performing a trick which they describe as a 'down plane flag', where they jump out while linked together to unfurl a US flag before flying with it draped between them.

Craig and Katie had successfully done it before and were well aware of the risks, but neither of them were prepared for what was going to happen when they attempted it on 10 March, 2013 in Northern California. Take a look at this:

Footage shows how the pair jumped from a whopping 8,000ft, before seasoned skydiver Craig broke away from his partner as they tried to execute the stunt - only for disaster to unfold at the 6,000-feet mark.

Chilling video footage captured the moment the dad fell into a three-minute tailspin 40 seconds into the skydive, leaving him powerless as he descended towards the ground far too quickly.

As if things couldn't get any worse, his main parachute became tangled and his reserve also became caught up in it.

Discussing the incident with ABC News, Craig explained: "I was like, 'Man, this is like a bad student jump'. I can’t believe this is going on. If you go through gear and get a twist, it’s usually not that big a deal."

Speaking of his intertwined parachutes, he said: "I was pulling on it, yanking it, trying to un-thread the knot. At one point, I had my fear in my teeth. I needed a third hand.

"Time slows down. You can take time and do things. I could see I was running out of time. I got through 1,700 feet and realised my situation hadn’t improved."

Craig Stapleton, then 51, thought he was done for when his stunt went wrong and his parachutes failed. (ABC)

Throughout all the chaos, poor Katie was watching on helplessly just feet above her pal, fearing that she was 'watching her friend about to die'.

Craig was thinking along the same lines too and came to the conclusion that his luck might have just ran out - so he prepared to pummel at 30mph into the vineyards in Lodi which lay below him.

The dentist and veteran skydiver, who had performed more than 7,000 jumps at the time, continued: "I thought, 'God hates me'. I pretty much figured I was dead. I mean, nothing has gone right since the second I left the plane.

"Nothing has gone right and I just need one thing to go right. Can I just get one thing?"

Although some people say there life flashes before their eyes, Craig was thinking of the future - and his big regret.

He added: "I was thinking about my wife and kids and what was gonna happen to them and, you know, even if I lived it was gonna be a big lifestyle change for all of us.

"I thought, 'If I live through this, I'll have months of rehab, hospitals...nothing fun again'. And you know, I was just really sorry that I wasn't there to say goodbye to them."

The dad revealed what was going through his mind as he hurtled towards the ground at 30mph. (ABC)

Miraculously, Craig somehow managed to cut the flag away and then smashed down to the ground - but it seems luck was still on his side, as he landed on a 'very soft' pile of freshly plowed dirt and into a row of grapes at a vineyard.

"I remember being relieved because I was still alive," the father said. It didn't kill me instantly. I remember being really happy I was in the dirt. I rolled onto my back - it knocked the wind out of me - to take a few seconds to collect myself.

"I could hear my teammates coming."

Katie, who admitted she was 'expecting a traumatic head injury' at the very least, was left overwhelmed when she ran over to her skydiving pal and realised that he was okay.

Craig incredibly escaped with a dislocated shoulder as well as some cuts and bruises, but all in all, he was fine.

"I don't know about any flag jumps anytime soon," the thrill seeker joked. "But who knows, I'm pretty stupid."

"God, Buddha, Allah, baby Jesus, a guardian angel - somebody was watching out for me," he added.

But it was his kids - Austin and Analyse - who put it best when they said: "It just figures, dad. You're the luckiest guy I know."