
73-Year-Old US Man Dies While Skydiving After Parachute Fails To Open
NDTV
Terry Gardner, was skydiving with three fellow experienced people, who were making their third jump when the incident took place.
A 73-year-old skydiver died in Arizona, United States after his parachute did not fully deploy to slow his descent, as per a report in CBS News. The man, Terry Gardner, was skydiving with three fellow experienced people, who were making their third jump when the incident took place on January 31.
The group had planned a formation jump from about 14,000 feet, police said. However, it did not go as intended because Mr Gardner experienced some complications when he attempted to deploy his parachute. "While they were unable to complete the intended formation, it is not believed that this contributed to the accident," they added. The other three skydivers landed safely, however, Mr Gardner was rushed to a hospital where he died due to his injuries.
According to Skydive Arizona, the 73-year-old was "a highly experienced skydiver with several thousands of jumps". "The jumper did not deploy the reserve (second) parachute. The skydiver was jumping with parachute gear owned and maintained by the jumper and the weather conditions were clear and calm. An investigation is currently underway to determine the cause of the accident and no further statements will be made until the results of the investigation have been released."