Drifted Outside Landing Zone, Into Rough Waters

A parachutist with more than 10,000 jumps and his skydiving student lost their lives Friday when they overshot a landing area while on a tandem jump at Dillingham Airfield on Mokuleia, HI.

They came down about 300 yards offshore, in shallow waters no more than five feet deep -- but with violent waves breaking over the reef. Rescuers on jetskis attempted to reach the two as they were pulled under the surface, but were unable to aid the victims in time.

"Everybody worked together as best they could," said Fire Captain Kenison Tejada, whose crew also responded to the scene. "But both of the victims were tangled up in the parachute and all of the cords."

"The rescue was tough for everybody involved given the waves and the really sharp coral," he added.

Officials from Skydive Hawaii told the Honolulu Advertiser the instructor was 69-year-old Erich "Max" Mueller (below, right). His student was identified as Saori Takahashi, 33, of Hokkaido, Japan.

Company president Frank Hinshaw said Takahashi's boyfriend took a tandem jump from the same flight with a different instructor, and had landed safely.

"This has been a devastating day for our skydiving family and the community in general," Hinshaw said about an hour after the Friday morning accident.

Conditions were prime for skydiving, according to Hinshaw -- winds blowing at roughly 9 knots, with only a few clouds in the sky.

There were no signs of trouble, according to witnesses, until they saw the two drift over the ocean.

It is the second fatal accident for Skydive Hawaii in less than a year. Last February, a 24-year-old man lost his life on a jump after a lineover malfunction. According to the Advertiser, the company had another fatal accident in 1991.

FAA investigators will review all matters related to the incident, according to the newspaper, including a videotape of the jump.

Meanwhile, life goes on for the Hawaiian skydiving community.

"It is not a sad thing -- well, it is sad, but for the community, it is a part of the sport," said Guy Banal, the president and owner of Pacific Skydiving Center -- and who has had a few close calls himself, in his nearly 40 years of skydiving.

"We try not to cry too much about it," he said, "because the guy left doing what he liked."

FMI: www.skydivehawaii.com