A skydiving instructor in Nashville has tragically died after seemingly falling from a plane without a parachute. A student skydiver who was with him miraculously survived the incident.
He was supposed to be held by a tandem rig
It was confirmed by the Metro Nashville Police Department that the late skydiving instructor seemingly fell when he became separated from a tandem rig with a student skydiver.
The student ultimately survived the horrifying incident.
The student was rescued from a tree
The skydiving student, who is unidentified, was rescued from a tree by emergency services, police confirmed on Sunday, October 5.
He had been stuck ‘with an open parachute in the woods in the 4500 block of Ashland City Highway’.
Police released a statement online
In a statement released on X, the Metro Nashville Police Department said, “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.”
They assured that he will recover
The statement went on, “He will be ok. This skydiver became separated at the plane from a tandem rig with an instructor.”
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“The instructor is presumed to have fallen from the sky without a parachute. He has not been located.”
Police later gave an update on the instructor
“Three other skydivers who jumped moments earlier landed safely. The plane landed safely at Tune Airport,” police added.
Authorities later gave an update that they found the body of the 35-year-old instructor.
They shared the details of their discovery
“An MNPD helicopter crew has found the 35-year-old instructor, deceased, in the clearing of a wooded area off Ashland City Highway,” police wrote.
“The FAA will be investigating this skydiving incident,” they added.
The fire department shared photos of the incident
Photos from the rescue operation were shared by the Nashville Fire Department on X, where firefighters can be seen climbing a ladder as they attempt to rescue the injured skydiver.
It said in a statement, “NFD rescuer safely reached the parachute jumper, freed him from the harness & assisted him down the ladder using a pulley system.”
The skydiving company also released a statement
The Fire Department added, “Patient is awake, alert & in stable condition after being suspended for hours. Patient will be transported to the hospital as a precaution.”
The company that was running the skydives, Go Skydive Nashville, also spoke about the incident on their website.
The company said their gear is regularly inspected
“Your instructor wears two parachutes, a big, stable main parachute and a reserve parachute,” the Go Skydive Nashville website notes.
“You wear a specially-designed tandem skydiving harness that securely attaches you to your instructor.”
