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A Texas skydiving instructor died after his parachute failed to open during a tandem jump. Witnesses watched in horror as they saw the instructor struggling to open the chute as he and the student spiraled towards the ground.
"He let off his primary and then the secondary shoot like opened halfway up, so he didn't fall like a straight fall, he was like 50 percent shoot, like a corkscrew," Alex Arias told KPRC.
Arias rushed over to assist when they hit the ground and found the instructor, who has not been identified, unconscious. The female student was awake and was screaming for help.
The pair was airlifted to the hospital, where the instructor was pronounced dead. The female suffered serious injuries, but officials said they are not considered to be life-threatening.
Skydive Houston said they have suspended operations pending an investigation into the accident, which is being handled by local officials and the Federal Aviation Administration.
"Skydive Houston, along with the greater skydiving community at large, is deeply saddened by the loss of our tandem instructor and friend," the company said in a statement. "Our sincerest condolences are extended to his friends and family. We continue to pray for a full recovery for the injured tandem student."