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Pensioner Vince Foot, 66, and his wife Brenda, 63, leapt from their bed at 1.40am after being woken by the sound of the 6inch x 3inch block smashing into their flat.
The terrified couple left their bedroom to investigate and forced open the door of their spare room to find a 3ft x 3ft hole in the ceiling and the floor littered with debris.
A solid block of ice - thought to have fallen several thousand feet from an aeroplane - was lying on the floor, with smaller pieces scattered on the bed.
Firefighters from West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service rushed to the second floor flat, which is under a flight path in Chichester, West Sussex.
They ensured the property was safe and helped to cover the gaping hole with a tarpaulin.
Tiles and debris were scattered up to 30ft.
Insurance companies are now assessing the extent of the damage to the roof and rafters, which is thought to run into thousands of pounds.
Mr Foot, a retired housing officer with the local council, is now using buckets to catch rain water.
He said: "I was woken by an unbelievable bang. I thought at first it was thunder or a picture falling down and I got up to investigate.
"I tried to open the spare bedroom door and it wouldn't move.
"When I forced it open I couldn't believe what I was seeing - there was an enormous hole in both the roof and the bedroom ceiling and there were great chunks of ice everywhere.
"I was half asleep and thought 'What on earth is this? What the hell has happened?'
"My wife and I are in a state of shock, but we also feel like we've had a lucky escape.
"The ice smashed through the room our grandchildren sleep in when they visit, which is a terrifying thought.
"It is such a freak incident but it could have been so much worse.
"Tiles and roof debris have been scattered nearly 30 feet so I don't want to imagine the force with which it hit."
He added: "We live under a flight path and there are planes coming over Chichester all the time.
"A lot of pilots use the Midhurst Beacon as a landmark when coming into land from Europe.
"It's amazing that the block of ice can fall from thousands of feet above us and land just a couple of yards from our bed while we are sleeping.
"If it had landed ten feet closer I wouldn't be alive now. It's a terrifying thought."
Mrs Foot, a carer for people with learning difficulties, said: "The biggest block of ice was about 6 inches long and 3 inches wide.
"The block started to melt pretty quickly and left quite a puddle."
Experts say this kind of incident only happens around 20 times a year in the UK.
Red Watch manager Pete Windsor said: "This is one of the strangest incidents we've been called to. Mr and Mrs Foot have had a miraculous escape.
"We are relieved that nobody was hurt and that we were able to offer them some assistance."
A spokeswoman from West Sussex Fire and Rescue said: "The block of ice is believed to have fallen from an aircraft."
MUST CREDIT PICTURES BY:
Solent News / Rex Features Ltd.
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