26-year-old woman dies in skydiving accident near Georgia airport, officials say
A 26-year-old woman was killed in a skydiving accident near a Georgia airport, officials said.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after officials said a woman died of skydiving-related injuries at about 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 22.
Coroner Norman Smith told McClatchy News the incident happened near Mullen Road. The area is near the Polk County Airport in Cedartown, roughly 55 miles northwest of Atlanta.
The accident was tied to Skydive Spaceland Atlanta, according to the Rome News-Tribune and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The skydiving business said it had more than 20 years of experience before the woman’s death.
“She was doing her first ‘solo’ training skydive, wearing her own parachute system and jumping with a dedicated instructor,” the business wrote in a statement. “The freefall portion of the skydive was uneventful; however, there was a complication with the primary parachute. The exact cause of the accident is under investigation.”
As of May 23, the FAA confirmed that it would investigate.
“FAA investigations of skydiving accidents and incidents typically focus on inspecting the packing of the parachute, reserve parachute, and rules of flight for the pilot and aircraft,” the agency told McClatchy News in an email.
Skydive Spaceland Atlanta said weather didn’t play a role, and the equipment that the woman used was in good condition.
“Our hearts hurt for this young lady and her family and friends, as well as our skyfamily,” Sarah Skroch, the facility’s operations manager, wrote in the statement. “Skydivers are a close-knit group and this hurts all of us deeply.”
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