plummet (down) to earth
To freefall down to the ground from a very great height. He teetered precariously on the edge of the building before plummeting to earth. The plane was plummeting down to earth when the pilot managed to get one of the engines back online and pulled the aircraft out of its freefall.
plummet to earth
to fall rapidly to earth from a great height. The rocket plummeted to earth and exploded as it struck. As the plane plummeted to earth, all the people on the ground were screaming.