Elderly woman jumps from parachute and dies after equipment malfunctions

A 65-year-old woman has died in a free fall after her skydiving equipment failed to work. Susan Sweetman was a skydiver from New Jersey, USA. The victim’s body was recovered at Airglades Airport in Hendry County on Saturday afternoon.

According to information from Skydive Spaceland, a local skydiving company, at the time of the accident, Susan was using her own equipment, which appears to be in good condition. She was already experienced in the sport and made about 6,790 jumps.

In a statement sent to the American Journal PeopleThe company regrets the situation. “Skydive Spaceland Clewiston is deeply saddened to report that on January 15, veteran parachute jumper Sue Sweetman of Hainesport, NJ, suffered a fatal accident in her second parachute jump of the day.”

They added, “After a successful, quiet parachute jump for seven people, she had trouble with her primary parachute. She dropped her too close to the ground and did not deploy her backup parachute. Weather was not a factor.”

According to the United States Skydiving Association, nearly 3 million jumps were made at skydiving centers across the country in 2020. During this period, the organization recorded 11 deaths, resulting in 0.39 deaths per 100,000 heels.