Student and Instructor Dead Following Unsuccessful Chute Deployment

A Houston, Texas skydiving school lost an instructor and student during a jump gone awry. 

A local witness said he watched as the falling duo seemed to struggle with their parachutes on the way down. Skydive Houston, a center in Waller, Texas, has acknowledged the deaths of a male instructor and female student on their tandem jump on Saturday afternoon. 

A witness described the struggle on their way down, saying “He let off his primary and then the secondary chute opened halfway up, so he didn’t fall like a straight fall, he was like 50% chute, like a corkscrew." He reached the unconscious pair quickly, enabling responders to deliver the critically injured student and instructor to the hospital, but ultimately to no avail. Their names have not been released. Operations were suspended at the school for further investigation into the exact cause of the tragedy. 

"Skydive Houston, along with the greater skydiving community at large, is deeply saddened by the loss of our tandem instructor and friend," Skydive Houston said in a statement to USA TODAY. "Our sincerest condolences are extended to his friends and family. We continue to pray for a full recovery for the injured tandem student."

FMI: www.skydivehouston.com/