Every space capsule needs an escape system. But to be sure the safety net isn’t a death trap, it must be tested.

A do-it-yourself spaceflight program called Copenhagen Suborbitals tested their own launch escape system early on Sunday, Aug. 12 in the middle of the Baltic Sea.

The system didn’t quite work as intended. “We had perfect launch, but quickly the entire configuration began to tumble,” said Kristian von Bengtson, co-founder of Copenhagen Suborbitals. “The main chutes clearly did not have complete deployment and the capsule hit water in high speed, buckling the bottom shield.”

Experience Copenhagen Suborbitals’ exciting launch sequence, and its crushing end, over @ Wired Science.