Deadly Skydiving Incident Occurs in Lodi

A skydiver died at the Lodi Parachute Center around 3 pm on Sunday in an incident that is currently under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The identity of the skydiver has not been released.

According to the FAA, the skydiver was killed when her parachute failed to deploy during a jump. The skydiver was using her own equipment but it’s not clear who packed the chute. The investigation from the FAA will provide further details, but  skydiving accident investigations typically are limited to determining whether the parachute was properly packed by the appropriate person.

🚨BREAKING: I just spoke with an employee at Skydive Lodi Parachute Center. He confirms there was a deadly skydiving incident, but would not tell me any other details. We’ve confirmed the San Joaquin Co Coroner’s office is heading to the scene. We’re en route now.

— Emily Maher (@EmilyMaherTV) October 14, 2018

The incident marks a long history of problems for the Lodi Parachute Center. The organization has been accused of lax training and has seen 16 deaths since 2000, and 5 skydivers who have learned to skydive at the school have died in the past two years. Authorities have investigated all of the incidents and found no violations.

in 2016, 20 instructors at the center were suspended and 120 more were told they had to undergo more training to be certified. The facility hosts over 100,000 jumps a year, leaving little surprise on the incident numbers.

Active NorCal writers have had experience at the facility and noted the condition of the airplane, in some parts covered in duct tape, seemed unsafe. There was also the incident of the plane crashing near the facility full of 17 skydivers and one pilot, none of which received life-threatening injuries. Here is a video of the plane crash:

https://www.facebook.com/ActiveNorcal/videos/1485501014821089/