A skydiving instructor died during a tandem jump with a student after his parachute failed to open properly.
Representatives of Skydive House confirmed to NBC2 that a member of their team died in an accident on Saturday afternoon.
A witness living in the area told the news outlet that she saw the duo struggling with their chutes as they were falling through the sky.
“He let off his primary and then the secondary shoot like opened halfway up so he didn’t fall like a straight fall, he was like 50 percent shoot, like a corkscrew,” Alex Arias said.
Mr Arias said he rushed to the scene to help the pair. When he arrived, the male instructor was unconscious, but his student, a woman, was awake and asking for someone to help her.
Both were transported to a local trauma centre, where the instructor later died from his injuries.
The woman's injuries are non-life-threatening. The victims’ identities have not been revealed.
The company released a statement acknowledging the incident.
“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 statement read.
The company also pointed out that while a parachute malfunction is the worst fear of any would-be or veteran skydiver, it is an extremely rare event.
“Skydive Houston has an excellent safety record, and significant injuries associated with tandem skydiving are extremely rare. Over the past 10 years, the United States Parachute Association has recorded one student fatality per 500,000 jumps, on average,” the company said.
Jumps have been suspended in the area temporarily while the FAA and local law enforcement investigate the incident.
