Lift generated in the vertical direction is probably a factor worth considering here as well. If you are able to build up a significant velocity in horizontal

Lift generated in the vertical direction is probably a factor worth considering here as well. If you are able to build up a significant velocity in horizontal direction, you might in the final moments before landing be able to shift posture to an aerodynamic form which converts your horizontal motion to a force in the positive vertical direction with a drag force in the negative horizontal direction, reducing both your horizontal and vertical velocity for a brief period. The notion reminds me of how helicopters land in the event of an engine failure, a regime of flight called autorotation. After engine failure the main rotor begins to be driven by the airflow. It is set to maximize drag, impart a horizontal velocity (I think? I am not a helicopter pilot, this is not helicopter landing advice), and primarily maintain rotational inertia -- more like a glider with a spinning wing than a rock falling from the sky as one might assume. In the moments before landing the rotor angle of attack is increased, and the rotational inertia is converted to brief surge of lift allowing the helicopter to touch down practically as normal. The question becomes, what posture should one assume to maximize lift to drag ratio? It seems like something edge on, with the body in a flying wing formation essentially, could come pretty close to offering enough lift to make survival feasible if you could somehow manage to transition to that orientation through what appear to be aerodynamically unstable configurations which would oppose that. And the side-on orientation does not seem like a good posture for the actual impact, so you'd need to quickly shift back to the "shock absorption" posture and if the flying wing orientation had the intended effect you would not have much airflow to maneuver with so it would presumably have to be something more like a zero-g change of attitude (https://youtu.be/960CsCgI6Jg?t=105 https://youtu.be/960CsCgI6Jg?t=105). I'll be sure to give it a try if I ever end up falling out of an airplane and let everyone know how it goes, though.