A skydiver who was preparing to participate in a planned world record jump died Thursday when his parachute failed to open, organizers said. The accident occurred in an early morning practice session above Eloy, Arizona, said Gulcin Gilbert, spokesperson for the team attempting the world record. Gilbert said that the skydiver experienced a malfunction in the main parachute and that he was already too close to the ground to allow the reserve chute to fully open. The skydiver was declared dead at the scene. His name was withheld until relatives could be informed of his death. The accident occurred as hundreds of skydivers prepared for a world record-breaking jump in which 222 skydivers would have jumped from 10 planes and formed two separate formations before deploying their chutes. The team decided to go ahead with a jump to honour the man who died. The team has decided to keep moving toward the record, but with 221 participating, dpa reported.
