First-time skydiver killed in tandem jump

First-time skydiver killed in tandem jump

A skydive operator in California didn't even close for the day after an instructor and first-time diver plummeted to their deaths at the weekend.

The bodies of the men, both in their 20s, were found in a vineyard at 10am on Saturday with the parachute unopened, reports CBS.

"We didn't do anything wrong," Parachute Center owner Bill Dause told local television station KCRA. "It's a love of the sport. You keep going. You feel sorry for the people who can't participate any longer."

It's not clear what went wrong - the instructor had completed more than 700 jumps.

"The parachute failed to eject properly. We have no explanation why," said Mr Dause. "The only thing it looks like is something may have gone out of sequence - that may have caused the problem."

The weather was "perfect" for jumping.

Another parachute malfunction later that same day was "remedied without incident".

Parachute Center, which has been operating since the 1960s, has made headlines in the US frequently of late. In February a parachute malfunction killed a solo skydiver, and in May, a plane with 17 divers on board crash-landed upside-down, but no one was seriously injured.

Newshub.