Skydiver dies after hitting another jumper's parachute in Georgia

An experienced skydiver died Saturday aft her main parachute collided with different jumper's gear, and her exigency chute failed to deploy, authorities said.

Jasmine Black, 48, had completed much than 160 jumps anterior to her last 1 implicit the weekend, said Upson County Sheriff Dan Kilgore. A preliminary probe suggested that her parachute struck the parachute of different skydiver arsenic some of them approached the landing portion astatine Thomaston Upson County Airport, astir 60 miles southbound of Atlanta, the sheriff said. 

It appeared that Black past performed a "cutaway" maneuver — a skydiving word for disconnecting a main parachute that's malfunctioning — earlier trying to deploy her exigency parachute. But, due to the fact that the skydivers' collision happened astatine a debased altitude, the exigency chute did not deploy, according to Kilgore.

The sheriff said Black was recovered dormant connected the airdrome tarmac by deputies who responded to the scene. The Federal Aviation Administration besides responded and volition assistance the sheriff's bureau arsenic their probe into the incidental continues.

Black was skydiving with the institution Skydive Atlanta, which operates retired of a installation astatine the airport.

In 2020, an 18-year-old pistillate and her teacher died successful a skydiving accident during a tandem leap operated by the aforesaid company. Kilgore told CBS News astatine the clip that their main parachute failed and the exigency chute "did not deploy until highly debased altitude and did not afloat open."

Thomaston Upson County Airport successful Georgia. Google Earth

CBS News contacted Skydive Atlanta for comment.

Deadly skydiving accidents are highly rare. In 2024, the United States Parachute Association recorded nine civilian skydiving fatalities retired of much than 3.8 cardinal jumps made by its members.

• Georgia
• Atlanta