A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a woman's parachute failed during a jump from 4,000ft.
The experienced skydiver suffered "multiple serious injuries" during the "routine" jump above Salisbury Plain on 5 April, police said.
Her main parachute did not deploy at all, while her reserve parachute only partially opened.
But it was enough to slow her descent from a fatal velocity.
Detectives said today that the soft links used to connect the canopy to the parachute harness were "missing".
The parachute club at Netheravon Airfield on Wiltshire's Salisbury Plain, reported the incident to police a day later and an investigation was launched.
A man, 35, was arrested and has now been released on bail.
Detective Inspector Paul Franklin said: "This woman would have been dead if her chute hadn't partially opened, this meant her descent was slowed enough for her to survive the fall.
"However, we were alerted to concerns over what had happened by the parachute club and as a result instigated an investigation.
"In particular, we are looking for 'slinks' that were missing from the parachute which may have been removed and discarded somewhere. This woman survived this fall miraculously but despite her experience she very nearly lost her life."
The victim was taken to Southampton General Hospital with "multiple serious injuries" and is now recovering at home.
Mr Franklin added that while police have spoken to many members of the parachute club, they still want any other witnesses to the incident to come forward.
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