An apparent equipment failure during a skydiving experience has left a male tandem instructor dead and a female student critically injured.
The incident occurred around 12:30 p.m. on February 19 at 1654 Kitty Hawk Drive in Waller, about 40 miles from Houston.
“The primary and secondary [parachutes] both just kind of swirled down,” said Waller County Sheriff Troy Guidry.
A resident of a nearby neighborhood told KHOU 11 he had witnessed the entire accident.
He said one of the skydivers cut the first parachute after it failed to open, but the backup parachute only opened halfway.
Upon landing, one of the skydivers was reportedly conscious, while the other had lost consciousness. It is not clear which individual was which.
The two were airlifted to Memorial Hermann Medical Center in Houston with serious injuries.
The instructor died, and the student remains in the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Skydive Houston posted a statement to Facebook, reading, “Skydive Houston has an excellent safety record, and significant injuries associated with tandem skydiving are extremely rare. Over the past ten years, the United States Parachute Association has recorded one student fatality per 500,000 jumps, on average. Further information containing statistics on the safety of the sport of skydiving can be found here.”
The statement further expressed, “Skydive Houston, along with the greater skydiving community at large, is deeply saddened by the loss of our tandem instructor and friend. Our sincerest condolences are extended to his friends and family. We continue to pray for a full recovery for the injured tandem student.”
The company has suspended all jump operations due to pending local law enforcement and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigations.
