Is Skydiving Safe? Navy SEAL Dies In New York City After Parachute Fails To Open During Fleet Week

A Navy SEAL skydiving team member died Sunday after a faulty parachute failed to open during New York Harbor’s annual Fleet Week demonstration over the Hudson River. This is the second skydiving accident in the country so far this year.

The accident happened near Liberty State Park where the skydiver — whose identity has been withheld— was performing as a part of an elite Navy parachute team Leap Frogs, according to a Navy spokesman. He fell into the river when his parachute failed to open.

Read: Skydiving Plane Crashes In Hawaii, 5 Declared Dead

Coast Guard personnel pulled the skydiver out of the water and rushed him to the Jersey City Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, Rear Adm. Jack Scorby, the commander of the Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, said.

“Our hearts and prayers go out to his family, and I ask for all of your prayers for the Navy SEAL community who lost a true patriot today,” Scorby said.

"Almost the same time that they touched down in Liberty State Park we heard a splash and turned around very quick. I saw the water splash, and apparently, there was a fourth parachutist," Jersey City resident Bjoern Kils, who witnessed the incident, told Reuters.

Kils reportedly said emergency personnel pulled the skydiver out of the water and tried to render cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). "He was just limp in the water," he said.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the parachute malfunction.

On May 24, a man wearing a wingsuit died after his parachute malfunctioned in a California vineyard. Identified as Matthew Ciancio, 42, the victim was reported to be an experienced jumper. The accident happened near the Lodi Parachute Center in Acampo, about 30 miles south of Sacramento.

However, Bill Dause, the center’s owner blamed the victim for his own death, reported NBC-affiliated KCRA.

"By the time he released the main parachute, he was too close to the ground in order for his reserve parachute to open," Dause reportedly said adding "It actually hadn't even come out of the container, so he failed to follow proper emergency procedures."

The U.S. Parachute Association (USPA) reportedly said eight wingsuit skydiving deaths — including Cincio’s — took place since 2011.

The USPA maintains that skydiving is safer compared to other sports. According to the latest statistics by the association, the USPA recorded 21 fatal skydiving accidents in 2015 out of about 3.5 million jumps.

“Tandem skydiving has an even better safety record, with 0.002 student fatalities per 1,000 tandem jumps over the past decade. According to the National Safety Council, a person is much more likely to be killed getting struck by lightning or stung by a bee,” according to the USPA.

These fatalities happen due to the nature of the extreme sport, Skydive Tecumseh — a skydiving center in Napoleon, Michigan — explained on its website.

“The majority of those incidents happen when highly experienced skydivers perform advanced maneuvers or through human error. While we do everything we can to negate this risk, incidents can happen,” Skydiving Tecumseh stated on its website.