Middletown Parachuting Skydiver Dies In Ohio As Veteran Skydiver Triggers Chute Too Late

An experienced skydiver died Sunday morning in Ohio after he opened his main and reserve parachutes too late, NBC News reported. The unidentified man was in the town of Middletown performing his 96th skydive around 11 a.m., according to John Hart II, owner of Ohio skydiving company Drop Zone.

The skydiver, who is from the town of Mason, failed to deploy his parachute at the recommended altitude of 3,500 feet. During an interview with Ohio’s Journal News, Hart explained the man made “a couple of poor decisions” and triggered his parachute about 1,000 feet below the suggested altitude limit.

Faulty equipment was not immediate announced as a reason for the man’s tragic fall, as his skydiving gear was performing accurately prior to the jump. Hart said the man’s death was not a result of skydiving’s “safety problem” but happened because the man was “not making good decisions.”

“This wasn’t because of a problem. Maybe he lost altitude awareness. He did use his reserve chute, but it deployed too late,” Hart explained. “It’s unfortunate, but it was completely avoidable.”

The skydiver’s body was found about a half a male west of the Middletown Regional Airport. He was pronounced dead upon impact.

Federal Aviation Association spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Corey told the New York Daily News that the department is still investigating the man’s death as well as looking into the parachute’s packing, the pilot’s training and the certification of the aircraft.

Despite the latest skydiving tragedy in Ohio, skydiving safety has been on the rise. According to a report conducted by the United States Parachute Association, only 24 fatal skydiving accidents were reported out of roughly 3.2 million jumps in 2014, leading to the lowest death rate in the sport’s history. Only 729 injuries were reported out of roughly 3.2 million skydives in 2014.