PEPPERELL, Mass. (WHDH) — One person was killed while skydiving in Pepperell on Saturday afternoon.
The incident happened at the Skydive Pepperell facility on Nashua Road at around 3 p.m. Lead instructor David Goldstein, who is also the police chief in Franklin, New Hampshire, told 7News the man killed was a veteran of “thousands of jumps” and worked for the facility as a videographer. His name has not been released.
Goldstein said the man’s primary parachute was found in an area away from his body, which means he possibly attempted or tried to attempt to use his reserve parachute. He said accidents like this are very rare.
State Police and local police are investigating and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been notified. In a statement, the Middlesex County district attorney said preliminary investigations indicate the man’s parachute malfunctioned.
This is the second time in the last three years a skydiver was killed in Pepperell. A 37-year-old man from Mattapan was killed while skydiving back in 2014. Two months ago, a jumper from the same facility got stuck in a tree in neighboring Dunstable. He survived his jump.
Goldstein said Saturday was the last day of jumps before the facility closed for the season.
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