First-Time Skydiver And Instructor Fatally Injured In August

The FAA has determined that a first time skydiver and his instructor were fatally injured in an accident August 6th, 2016 near Lodi, CA because both the main and reserve parachutes failed to open properly.

The Sacramento Bee reports that, in a one-page statement released by FAA spokesman Ian Gregor, the drogue chute that deploys the main parachute did not fully inflate when it was pulled by skydiving instructor, 25-year-old Yong Kwon of South Korea. He was jumping with 18-year-old Tyler Nicholas Turner of Los Banos, CA.

According to the FAA, the two fell about 10,000 feet before Kwan attempted to release the backup parachute. They had exited the aircraft at 13,000 feet. The reserve chute became entangled in the drogue, and also did not deploy.

Kwon was working for The Parachute Center in Acampo, CA. The investigation found that he was not certified for tandem skydiving, according to the U.S. Parachute Association, which has suspended the person who trained him. Another 140 people who had been trained by that same person were notified by the association to update their credentials.

The FAA is continuing its investigation into the accident, and has not determined what actions, if any, it will take against The Parachute Center and its owner Bill Dause. The USPA is conducting a separate investigation, according to the report.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.uspa.org