Skydiver Dies While Trying to Set World Record
Parachute failed to open in time ahead of 200-person jump.
April 3, 2014— -- A skydiver who was part of a group attempting to break a world record for largest group skydive was killed today in Arizona when a parachute malfunctioned, authorities said.
The skydiver, who has not been identified, was part of an effort in Eloy, Ariz., in which 222 seasoned skydivers would join together in two groups, mid-air, in freefall before opening their parachutes.
Around 7:30 a.m., one of the skydivers participating in the event had a malfunctioning parachute that was released too low to allow the reserve parachute to fully open, according to a statement released by Skydive Arizona, which was overseeing the jump.
The skydiver was declared dead at the scene.
The skydivers -- hailing from 28 countries -- were to jump from 18,000 feet, come together in a formation before separating and unleashing their parachutes.
The organization said that the incident was not related to the size of the group, and noted that no other skydivers were injured at the time.
There were no problems with the aircraft and the weather were good at the time of the event, the group said.
According to the Arizona Republic, two men were killed during an attempt to break the same record in December 2013 after they collided in mid-air.
The men were part of a different organization.
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