Texas Skydiving Instructor Killed, Student Hospitalized After Parachutes Fail To Open

WALLER, Texas (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — A skydiving instructor was killed after his parachute failed to open during a jump with a student just outside Houston.

According to Skydive Houston, a student who was doing the tandem jump with the instructor was also seriously injured Saturday.

Both were airlifted to a Houston hospital after the jump Saturday in Waller, about 40 miles northwest of Houston. The instructor later died and the student had serious injuries that aren't life-threatening, the center said.

Waller County Sheriff Troy Guidry said the female student and her male instructor were doing the tandem jump when the parachutes failed to open. "The primary and secondary [parachutes] both just kind of swirled down," Guidry said.

The cause of the accident is under investigation and Skydive Houston has suspended jump operations while officials -- local police and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) -- complete their investigations.

(© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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