Skydiver dies in Florida after 'parachute malfunction,’ authorities say

Updated
@DeLandPD

A skydiver died Monday in Florida after his parachute malfunctioned, authorities said.

The incident was reported shortly before 12 p.m. at DeLand Municipal Airport, about 43 miles north of Orlando, the city’s police department said in a statement.

A department spokeswoman, Ava Hanner, told The Daytona Beach News-Journal that the incident occurred at Skydive DeLand, a local company based at the airport.

Neither the company nor the spokeswoman responded to requests for comment Monday evening.

The skydiver wasn’t identified, and additional details about the malfunction weren’t immediately available.

Ten people died skydiving in the U.S. last year for a fatality rate of 0.2 deaths per 100,000 jumps, according to the United States Parachute Association.

The number is a record low since the association began keeping track of deaths in 1961, the association said. In the 1970s, dozens of people died annually skydiving.

The association, which attributed the decreasing death count to improved training, technology and equipment, said human error is linked to the vast majority of fatal jumps.

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