INSANE VIDEO: iPhone falls 450 feet from top of Florida ride, suffers only a scratch

Owner says she didn't have case on iPhone 7 Plus

ORLANDO, Fla. – A Turkish woman was recording a video at the top of a 450-foot ride in Florida when she says she dropped it, and her phone continued recording until she found it in near-perfect condition when the ride ended.

Cansel Yildirim was on the StarFlyer, the world's tallest swing ride, which flies over International Drive in Orlando, Wednesday night and wanted to capture the moment when she and the man she was riding with got to the top.

After a few seconds of recording cellphone video of them flying over the city, Yildirim dropped her iPhone 7 Plus and watched as it tumbled hundreds of feet to the ground. Since she didn't have a case protecting it, there was little reason to believe it wouldn't be shattered to pieces -- if she could even find it.

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Yildirim said that when the swings returned to the bottom, she got off and used the Find my iPhone app to locate her phone, which, to her surprise, didn't crack at all. In fact, Yildirim told News 6 she only found one scratch on the phone.

"It is truly a miracle that nothing has happened to my phone as it didn't break or crack at all," Yildirim said.

That wasn't the only thing Yildirim was shocked to find, though. When she found the phone, her video camera app was still rolling and had been the entire time, capturing the very long fall.

In the video, the phone appears to be flipping as it makes its way down. The motion and sound of hard, fast winds stop when you hear the camera finally hit the ground. The phone lands face up and captures the rest of Yildirim's long ride on the giant swingset.

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She shared the shocking video on Facebook and, by Friday, it had already been seen 5,000 times.

The StarFlyer opened in Orlando last month and is right next to the Icon Orlando 360, formerly known as the Orlando Eye.

Managers at the ride told News 6 they have seen the video, and now, their workers are making sure people who ride don't have anything loose in their pockets before they get on.

"Guys, listen up. No cellphones whatsoever allowed on this ride," one of the workers told the line of people waiting Friday night.

Items like cellphones, ball caps and flip flops can be stored in plastic bins which sit right under the ride, away from the public's reach.

Randy McWilson was visiting from Cape Girardeau, Missouri. He watched the video and had questions.

"What about change in their pockets? What about coins, keys, phones?" he asked. "I would be a little concerned.

The 450-foot ride has 24 seats that go up, down and around its giant tower. There are no age or weight limits to ride the swings, according to the StarFlyer's official website.


About the Authors:

Erik Sandoval joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2013 and became an Investigator in 2020. During his time at News 6, Erik has covered several major stories, including the 2016 Presidential campaign. He was also one of the first reporters live on the air at the Pulse Nightclub shooting.