Parachuting Instructor Killed After Plummeting Lacking Parachute in Nashville
The Federal Aviation Administration is looking into the fatality of a skydiving instructor following he got detached from his student during a dive in Nashville, Tennessee.
Authorities say instructor Justin Fuller "appears to have fallen from the sky without a parachute" during the dive on the weekend.
The instructor, 35 years old, appeared to have separated from his student and a dual harness, which connects the two during a jump and includes the safety gear.
A police helicopter located the instructor's remains in a wooded area hours later. The Nashville Fire Department utilized multiple pieces of equipment to reach the middle-aged student who survived the descent after being stuck on a tree for some time with the backup chute.
Officials said three other dives, which took place near Nashville's John C Tune airport, were successfully completed before the fatal fall. Aircraft from which they jumped also touched down without issue.
The cause remains unknown how Mr Fuller, an seasoned parachutist, got detached from the protective gear.
A man who assisted fire crews in the operation informed a local television station the client who authorities rescued mentioned "it was his first jump, and it was going to be his final one".
The instructor had previously posted about his enthusiasm for instructing people how to parachute.
"Teaching people to parachute has consistently been in my opinion the most satisfying role at the jump site," Mr Fuller wrote in an social media update in June.
"Observing students learn the skills and start flying their bodies is consistently a touching moment. Sometimes though, it can become quite chaotic up there when you let someone go for their initial attempt."
During that period he shared images of the wreckage a jump aircraft he was on noting the plane's engine had malfunctioned after take off. All 20 people onboard survived.
