Skydiver falls 14,000ft to his death after parachute failed to open during formation stunt
Niamh Shackleton
Featured Image Credit: SkydiveArizona / Fox10
A man has plummeted to his death in a freak skydiving accident.
Terry Gardner was described as an 'highly experienced diver' and was on his third dive of the day when the fatal incident occurred on January 27.
Apparently, Terry had 'several thousands of jumps' under his belt, but faced difficulties last week when his chute became caught.
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Ultimately it didn't deploy and the 73-year-old sadly fell to his death.
He was performing a tandem dive at the time and the three other jumpers were able to land safely.
Terry didn't die on impact as local fire service personnel 'swiftly administered life-saving measures' at the scene before rushing him off to hospital.
He was taken to Casa Grande Banner hospital, where Terry later succumbed to his injuries.
The devastating ordeal took place in Eloy, Arizona at Skydive Arizona - the world's largest skydiving centre. Terry's wife is reported to have once worked at the company.
In the wake of his death, the Skydive Arizona have released a statement and confirmed that the incident is being investigated.
"An investigation is currently underway to determine the cause of the accident and no further statements will be made until the results of the investigation have been released," the company said, per Mail Online.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will reportedly look into how Terry's parachute was packed, as well as flight rules for the pilot and aircraft.
Elsewhere, local police said: "Our thoughts and condolences are with all those who knew and loved Terry Gardner during this challenging time."
The skydiving community in Eloy have been left heartbroken by Terry's passing.
Vice Mayor of Eloy and fellow skydiver Sara Curtis told CBS: "Having it happen to someone that's in your own community and essentially within your own family is really hard."
"We're going to miss him so much," she added while sharing her condolences with his family.
Terry's death comes shortly after four people lost their lives in a hot air balloon incident in the Eloy Desert.
Chayton Wiescholek, 28, Kaitlynn Bartrom, 28, Atahan Kiliccote, 24, and pilot Cornelius Van Der Walt, 37, all died in the January 14 tragedy.
Federal investigators say that an 'unspecified problem' with the balloon's 'envelope' could have caused the incident.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are said to have found no mechanical anomalies following its initial examinations.