This story is accurate: Jamie Hull is a former UK Special Forces reservist who survived a 2007 training‑flight fire in Florida, sustaining burns over about 60–63% of his body and being given around a 5% chance of survival.

A. New Facebook caption
His plane was on fire 1,000 feet in the air.
With the cockpit engulfed and his skin burning, Jamie Hull realised there were only two options: wait for impact, or jump from a dying aircraft.

He wrestled the crippled plane down as low as he could, climbed out onto the wing, and hurled himself towards the Florida ground just seconds before the explosion behind him. He survived with devastating third‑degree burns over most of his body and a “five per cent” chance of living. Months in a coma, more than sixty operations, organ failure and infections followed, along with years of invisible mental battles.

But Jamie didn’t stop at survival. He learned to walk and function again, retrained as a pilot, took on endurance challenges, and now shares his experience as an author and motivational speaker, helping others face their own worst days.

Courage isn’t only in the moment you jump from the burning wreckage.
It’s in choosing, over and over again, to keep rebuilding when the world says you shouldn’t have made it this far.

Tag someone who needs this reminder today.

B. Original article / blog post
Title
From Burning Cockpit to New Beginnings: The Long Fight of Jamie Hull

The day everything changed
On a summer day in 2007, Jamie Hull climbed into the cockpit of a light aircraft in Florida, focused on logging another solo hour towards his private pilot’s licence. A former British Army Reservist and member of the UK Special Forces Reserve, he was used to pressure and risk, but this flight was meant to be routine.

Shortly after take‑off, at around 1,000 feet, a thin tongue of flame appeared from the engine cowling and then burst into a full fire that drove straight through the cockpit. Within moments, the confined cabin became an inferno. Jamie wore only shorts and a T‑shirt; his skin began to burn as he fought to keep control of the aircraft.

An impossible decision at 1,000 feet
Jamie tried to guide the damaged plane down for an emergency landing, but the fire spread rapidly and the cockpit filled with smoke and heat. As the aircraft descended, he realised he would not survive if he stayed strapped into the seat. He made a decision few pilots ever face: he released his harness, freed himself from the burning cockpit, and clambered out onto the wing while the aircraft was still moving.

He stayed there as the ground rushed closer, riding the collapsing aircraft down through the air. At roughly 15–20 feet above the ground, still travelling at speed, Jamie jumped. He hit the ground feet‑first, then pitched forward, suffering multiple internal injuries and fractures on impact. Behind him, the aircraft crashed and exploded.

Surviving the unsurvivable
The jump saved his life, but the damage to his body was almost beyond repair. Jamie sustained third‑ and fourth‑degree burns to around 60–63% of his body, along with serious internal trauma. Emergency responders brought him to hospital in the United States, where doctors placed him into a medically induced coma and told his family his odds of survival were only about five per cent.

For months, his life hung in the balance. He battled complications including organ failure, infections and repeated surgeries to remove damaged tissue and graft new skin. In total, he would undergo more than fifty to sixty operations over the following years, making him a constant presence in intensive care units and specialist burns wards in both the US and the UK.

The hardest fight came later
Eventually, Jamie was stable enough to be transferred back to Britain for long‑term burns treatment and rehabilitation. Learning to move, eat, and function again required a level of persistence that went far beyond the dramatic leap from the aircraft. He later described “two or three dark years” after the crash, when pain, scarring and the loss of his old life weighed heavily on his mental health.

Like many survivors of severe trauma, he faced anxiety, low mood, and the challenge of accepting a changed body and future. Support from charities such as Help for Heroes and veterans’ organisations helped provide specialist rehabilitation, peer support and opportunities to rebuild his confidence. This phase of his life showed that survival is not a single moment but an ongoing process that demands patience, vulnerability and, often, asking for help.

Rebuilding a new identity
Over time, Jamie began to reclaim activities that mattered to him. He retrained and returned to flying, proving to himself that the cockpit did not have to remain a place of fear. He took on new physical challenges, including endurance events and outdoor adventures, using structured training and careful medical guidance to push his limits safely.

He also started to share his story publicly. As a motivational speaker and ambassador for veteran and recovery charities, Jamie has spoken to audiences about decision‑making under pressure, resilience in the face of extreme trauma, and the slow, unglamorous work of rehabilitation. His memoir, “Life on a Thread,” offers a detailed account of his ordeal and the mindset that helped him through it.

Why Jamie Hull’s story resonates
Jamie’s experience strikes a chord because it challenges the idea that courage is confined to a single dramatic moment. The leap from the burning aircraft is extraordinary, but the years of surgeries, therapy, and quiet days learning to live again required a different, quieter form of bravery.

His life now illustrates several powerful themes: that survival often involves accepting help; that recovery is rarely linear; and that a sense of purpose—whether through flying again, raising funds, or speaking to others—can turn personal tragedy into a source of strength for the wider community. For people facing long recoveries, his story offers a reminder that it is possible to build a meaningful future even when the past cannot be restored.

A message for anyone on a long road back
Jamie Hull’s journey shows that the crucial choice is not only what you do in the moment of crisis, but what you choose to do in the months and years after. For anyone struggling through rehabilitation, grief, or major life change, his example suggests three practical truths: progress can be painfully slow and still be progress, asking for specialist and community support is a strength, and it is never too late to rewrite the story you tell yourself about what comes next.

Sometimes courage is in the jump. More often, it is in getting up every day and choosing to heal.