Skydiving Instructor, Student Plummet To The Ground After Parachute Fails To Open, One Dead

A Texas skydiving instructor lost his life after his parachute failed to deploy in a tandem jump with a female client.

Organized by Skydive Houson in Waller County, the deadly incident unfolded in a matter of seconds when the pair experienced a parachute malfunction mid-air after the jump around noon Saturday, according to the county’s Sheriff’s Office.

A resident in the neighborhood who witnessed the entire accident unfold, and also tried to help the duo after the fall, said he first saw the Skydive Houston instructor and his student struggle with their parachutes while still in air.

“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,” the witness, Alex Arias, said, as reported by KPRC 2.

The instructor had sustained severe injuries and was unconscious when Arias ran over to help them. The woman, however, was conscious at the time and had sustained serious injuries.

“She was like, ‘Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop. Get him off of me. Make it stop.’ And I was like ‘You’re ok, you’re ok’ and I’m telling the other dude, ‘Hey wake up, wake up’ and he was out,” the witness continued.

The instructor and the woman were flown by Life Flight helicopter to Memorial Hermann in the Medical Center, according to Sheriff Troy Guidry.

The man tragically succumbed to his death the following day while the woman remains hospitalized due to the injuries, but is expected to make it. Skydive Houston said the client’s injuries were not life-threatening.

Jump operations at the skydiving school were brought to a halt as investigators look into the accident. Skydive Houston released a statement in light of the instructor's death, KHOU 11 reported.

"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,” the statement read. “We continue to pray for a full recovery for the injured tandem student.”