FAA investigates after third skydiver dies in 2 months at Arizona facility
Authorities in Arizona are working with the Federal Aviation Administration to investigate deadly skydiving incidents after three people in two months faced issues while descending into the air.
The most recent skydiving tragedy occurred on Feb. 16 when an unidentified 47-year-old man died at about 2 p.m. near Skydive Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday. Witnesses said he was a "very experienced skydiver," the sheriff's office said. No foul play is suspected.
A similar incident occurred earlier this month after a 46-year-old man died at the same facility when his parachute did not deploy during a free fall, the Eloy Police Department said in a Facebook post. In January, a 55-year-old woman also died after complications with her parachute at Skydive Arizona.
A spokesperson for the FAA said the agency's investigations of skydiving accidents focus on inspecting the packing of the parachute and reserve parachute, and flight rules for the pilot and aircraft. The FAA does not investigate to determine the cause of the event.
The FAA looks into every skydiving mishaps that's reported to the agency.
Many skydiving accidents occur because of the jumper, according to the United States Parachute Association. The group says that "oftentimes an experienced skydiver who is pushing the limits — makes an error in judgment while landing a perfectly functioning parachute."
In 2024, nine people died from a skydiving-related incident across the country, the United States Parachute Association reported.
