Tragedy struck at a recreational airport in central Florida as a skydiver lost his life in a parachuting accident on Monday. This unfortunate incident marks at least the second skydiving fatality at the airfield in less than two years.
The man tragically "suffered a hard landing" and was pronounced dead at DeLand Municipal Airport, as reported by the DeLand Police Department. Authorities arrived at the scene around 2:30 p.m. on Monday afternoon and have initiated an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. The identity of the skydiver will not be disclosed until his next of kin has been notified.
Regrettably, this is not the first fatal skydiving incident at DeLand Municipal Airport, a facility owned by the city of DeLand and open to the public. Another skydiver met a similar fate during a failed landing at the same airport in October 2022, succumbing to a fatal accident due to a malfunctioning parachute, according to DeLand police.
Similar incidents have also occurred in other parts of Florida, underscoring the risks associated with this extreme sport.
Last October, tragedy struck in Titusville when a 69-year-old man, dressed in full parachuting gear, was discovered lifeless on the lawn of a residence. Titusville, located about 40 miles east of Orlando along the coast, is home to an airpark and skydiving center. Surveillance footage captured from a neighbor's camera revealed the skydiver's descent towards the property, reflected in the rear windshield of a parked SUV, before a fatal impact with the ground.
While skydiving is recognized as a sport with inherent risks, experts emphasize that the majority of skydiving accidents stem from human error rather than equipment malfunction.
"Many incidents occur due to errors in judgment during landing, often involving experienced skydivers who are pushing their limits with a fully operational parachute," stated the United States Parachute Association on their website's safety section. Drawing a parallel to vehicular accidents, the association highlighted that like automobile crashes, skydiving mishaps are typically attributed to operator mistakes rather than equipment failure.
In 2023, there were 10 fatal skydiving accidents out of over 3.6 million jumps, marking a record low, according to the USPA.
