Skydiving Trainer Killed After Plummeting Lacking Safety Gear in Nashville
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the death of a parachuting trainer following he became separated from his client during a jump in Music City, TN.
Police say instructor Justin Fuller "is presumed to have fallen from the air without a parachute" during the dive on Saturday.
Fuller, 35 years old, appeared to have detached from his client and a tandem rig, which links the pair during a jump and includes the parachute.
A law enforcement aircraft found the instructor's remains in a wooded area hours later. Local emergency crews used several ladders to access the 46-year old student who survived the fall after being stuck on a tree for hours with the emergency parachute.
Officials said several additional jumps, which took place near a local airport, were carried out without incident prior to the fatal fall. Aircraft from which they leaped also landed safely.
The cause remains unknown how Mr Fuller, an seasoned parachutist, became separated from the safety equipment.
A individual who helped fire crews in the rescue told a media outlet the client who officials rescued mentioned "it was his first jump, and it was going to be his final one".
The instructor had recently written about his enthusiasm for instructing people how to skydive.
"Instructing individuals to parachute has always been in my opinion the most satisfying role at the jump site," Mr Fuller wrote in an Instagram post in the summer.
"Watching them figure it out and begin maneuvering their bodies is always a heartwarming experience. Occasionally though, it can become quite chaotic up there when you release a student for their first time."
That same month he posted photos of the damage a skydiving plane he was on saying the aircraft's motor had malfunctioned after departure. Every individual onboard lived through the incident.
