Report: Cost revealed for Virginia Tech to remove skydiver parachute from scoreboard after spring game incident

After a skydiver crashed into the scoreboard during Saturday’s spring game, Virginia Tech received a bill of more than $3,000, according to a report from Doug Bowman. The bill was for removal of the parachute and replacing an LED module.

Virginia Tech had two skydivers over Lane Stadium on Saturday as the Hokies kicked off the James Franklin Era in Blacksburg. One landed on the field as planned, but another apparently got caught in a gust of wind and hit the scoreboard. He was stuck for some time before the fire department arrived to bring him down.

But it will apparently come at a cost for Virginia Tech. All told, the cost to remove the parachute and replace the LED module came out to $3,480, according to Bowman.

How much does it cost to remove a parachute from Lane Stadium’s videoboard?

After Saturday’s spring game, we have a better idea.

$3,480

Although some of that went to replacing an LED module too. #Hokies pic.twitter.com/8hY3KDt6pj

— Doug Bowman (@DougBowman247) April 23, 2026

Close-up video from the game showed the skydiver hit the scoreboard hard, capturing the moment they hit the “e” and “c” in “Virginia Tech” atop the board. The letters fell from the top, though they did not hit the fans since there’s a gap between the scoreboard and the stands.

Earlier video showed two skydivers with American flags attached to them gliding over Virginia Tech’s home football stadium. The first one, appearing to carry a smaller flag, glided safely over the video board. But the other one, apparently to be on the same trajectory, likely caught some wind on its way down and hit the videoboard.

Despite emergency personnel reacting swiftly, he skydiver remained suspended from the video board for some time. Their parachute appeared to get stuck over the video board, leaving the skydiver hanging above a sea of fans.

In a statement released Saturday afternoon, Virginia Tech said the skydiver was stable and remains under evaluation. The program also thanked the first responders for quickly getting to the scene after the incident.

“We are grateful to report that the skydiver was safely secured and is currently stable,” the statement read. “Our primary focus remains on their well-being. We extend our sincere appreciation to the first responders, event staff, and medical personnel for their swift, coordinated and professional response.”

Saturday’s spring game marked an unofficial start to the new era at Virginia Tech. Franklin is preparing for his first season as head coach after his departure from Penn State last season. He replaced Brent Pry, who later agreed to return to the Hokies’ staff as Franklin’s defensive coordinator this year.