26-Year-Old Skydiver Dies During Her First Solo Training Jump in Georgia
The woman was jumping at Skydive Spaceland Atlanta at the time of the accident, according to reports
A female skydiver died during a jump in Georgia this week.
The accident occurred at Polk County’s Skydive Spaceland Atlanta on Sunday, according to WSB-TV. The 26-year-old woman was attempting her first solo jump.
A representative for the company told CNN that the woman encountered a “complication” after the freefall portion of the jump.
“She was doing her first ‘solo’ training skydive, wearing her own parachute system and jumping with a dedicated instructor,” the company said in a statement to CNN. “The freefall portion of the skydive was uneventful; however, there was a complication with the primary parachute.”
“The equipment was appropriately sized, in good repair, and maintained properly by the standards of the Federal Aviation Administration,” they added.
Skydive Spaceland Atlanta did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The FAA said it will inspect the packing of the parachute and reserve parachute. Officials will also look into the rules of flight for the pilot and aircraft.
“The FAA will investigate the skydiving accident that occurred near Polk County Airport/Cornelius Moore Field in Cedartown, Ga., around 4 p.m. local time Sunday,” the organization said in a statement to PEOPLE.
“FAA investigations of skydiving accidents and incidents typically focus on inspecting the packing of the parachute, reserve parachute, and rules of flight for the pilot and aircraft,” the FAA added.
According to the United States Parachute Association, there were over 3.5 million skydiving jumps performed at USPA-affiliated skydiving centers across the country in 2021.
Of those, only 10 deaths were recorded by the organization with a rate of 0.28 fatalities per 100,000 jumps.
[via]