Photo: Oliver Furrer / Image Source / Getty Images
A 73-year-old man died in a skydiving accident in Eloy, Arizona, last week. Terry Gardner was on his third jump of the day and was planning to do a formation in the sky with three of his friends.
They jumped from the plane at 14,000 feet but could not pull off the formation jump. While the other skydivers all managed to recover and land safely, Gardner's main parachute failed to fully deploy. He did not deploy his secondary parachute and slammed into the ground.
Paramedics rushed to the scene and worked to stabilize Gardner while they transported him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
"He died doing what he loved and pursuing his passions and his dreams," said Eloy Vice Mayor Sara Curtis. "He was an organizer, which means he led people on jumps. He was sort of an expert skydiver that helped other people learn."
Officials said that Garder was using his own parachute and that investigators were working to determine why it did not deploy properly. The Federal Aviation Administration is conducting a full investigation into the accident.