Casa Grande resident dies after parachute issue while skydiving in Eloy
Officials said a man died on Wednesday while attempting to skydive in Eloy after an issue with his parachute.
Sgt. Jeremy Sammons with the Eloy Police Department said that Terry Gardner, 73, died while skydiving at Skydive Arizona after making a hard landing without a fully deployed parachute.
Gardner, a Casa Grande resident, and three other divers had completed a formation, which does not appear to be the cause of the incident, police said.
Fire department personnel provided aid to Gardner, and he was rushed to Casa Grande Banner Hospital, where he died, police said.
Ian Mackenzie, a spokesman for Skydive Arizona, released a statement on Friday describing Gardner as a "highly experienced skydiver" who had completed several thousands jumps.
"Eyewitnesses report that the free fall portion of the skydive was uneventful and went as planned," Mackenzie said. "The jumper deployed their parachute at the predetermined altitude, but witnesses could see that there was a problem involving the main (primary) parachute. The jumper did not deploy the reserve (second) parachute. The skydiver was jumping parachute gear owned and maintained by the jumper and the weather conditions were clear and calm."
Mackenzie added that staff were cooperating with authorities as the investigation continues.
"The Skydive Arizona community is deeply saddened by the sudden loss of a beloved member," Mackenzie said. "This tragedy profoundly impacts everyone who knew them, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to their family and friends in this difficult period."
The Federal Aviation Administration will inspect the parachute to determine what caused the issue.
The incident comes several weeks after four people died in a hot air balloon crash in Eloy.
Eloy saw a similar incident nearly a decade ago when 46-year-old Diana Paris of Berlin died after her main parachute malfunctioned, causing it to deploy too late and not fully open. Police at the time also described Paris as an experienced skydiver with over 1,500 jumps.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Casa Grande resident dies while skydiving in Eloy
