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NEED TO KNOW
- A 35-year-old skydiving instructor from Nashville has died after becoming “separated at the plane” from his “tandem rig,” leaving him to fall “from the sky without a parachute,” according to a statement from the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD)
- The second skydiver was rescued from a tree and is described as “ok,” according to the police
- Go Skydive Nashville issues a statement lamenting the “tragic loss of life,” per NBC News
A skydiving instructor has died after becoming separated from his parachute during a tandem jump in Nashville, authorities have confirmed.
The 35-year-old male instructor was found dead by a police helicopter in the clearing of a wooded area off Ashland City Highway after falling from the sky without a parachute on Saturday, Oct. 4.
A second skydiver, who the deceased man was meant to be jumping in tandem with, survived the incident and was rescued from a tree, the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said in a statement on X.
“Fire Dept. rescuers have just brought down a skydiver who was lodged in a tree with an open parachute in the woods in the 4500 block of Ashland City Highway. He will be ok,” said police. “This skydiver became separated at the plane from a tandem rig with an instructor. The instructor is presumed to have fallen from the sky without a parachute.”
Initially, the instructor had not been located before he was later found dead, police said. The second skydiver was a 46-year-old student, per WSMV. Go Skydive Nashville issued a statement, per NBC News, lamenting the “tragic loss of life” in the incident while insisting they were cooperating with the investigation.
The instructor became separated from the student and fell from the sky without a parachute. The student’s emergency parachute deployed, and he got stuck in a tree off the 4500 block of Ashland City High, according to WSMV.
Nashville Fire Department
Three other skydivers had participated in the jump “moments earlier and landed safely,” said police. Their plane landed safely at Tune Airport.
The Nashville Fire Department (NFD) confirmed on X that they rescued the skydiver who was stuck in a tree.
Nashville Fire Department
“NFD rescuer safely reached parachute jumper, freed him from the harness and assisted him down the ladder using a pulley system,” the department said. The skydiver was “in a stable condition after being suspended for hours” and was sent to the hospital as a precaution.
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PEOPLE has reached out to the FAA, MNPD and Go Skydive Nashville for comment.