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Skydiver dies in Eloy; 3rd death in three months

Posted at 11:43 AM, Feb 09, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-10 07:01:27-05

An experienced skydiver died following a jump in Eloy Tuesday morning.

The Eloy Police Department says the skydiver was visiting from Switzerland, and records show he has over 600 jumps logged. 

Police say his name is being withheld until the Switzerland Consulate and next of kin are notified.

Skydive Arizona said in a press release his parachute hit the ground at a high rate of speed. They says his chute deployed, something happened in the air, his canopy turned and he was slammed into the ground. A spokesperson for the jump center says while the incident is under investigation, they don't believe anything was wrong with his gear.

This is the third death at the facility since New Year's Eve. According to the United States Parachute Association, 24 skydiving fatalities were reported in 2014 out of about 3.2 million jumps.

The Eloy Police Department and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating.