Nicholas Stephen Alkemade (10 December 1922 – 22 June 1987) was a British tail gunner in the Royal Air Force during World War II who survived a freefall of 18,000 feet (5,490 m) without a parachute after abandoning his out-of-control, burning Avro Lancaster heavy bomber over Germany.
As his parachute had caught fire and was unserviceable, Alkemade jumped from the aircraft without it, preferring to die on impact rather than burn to death.
The Lancaster crashed bursting into flames, killing pilot Jack Newman and three other members of the crew.
Alkemade was subsequently captured and interviewed by the Gestapo, who were initially suspicious of his claim to have fallen without a parachute.
He appeared on the ITV series Just Amazing!, a programme where former motorcycle racer Barry Sheene interviewed people who had, through accident or design, achieved feats of daring and survival.