Experienced skydiver dies in Arizona, leads to FAA investigation
A tragic skydiving accident led to the death of a 55-year-old woman in Eloy, Arizona last week.
Witnesses say the woman’s parachute fully deployed, but it’s still unclear what happened.
We spoke with a skydiving instructor and a close friend of the victim.
What they’re saying:
Ann Wick was experienced with hundreds of jumps under her belt. Friends say she traveled all over the country to skydive.
They say this was a tragic accident.
“It’s just an absolute tragedy,” said Josh Zerlan, a skydiving instructor and friend of Ann. “Especially someone like her who is just a warm, caring person.”
Ann had 267 jumps at 55 years old. The mother of two children took on a new hobby later in life, craving the feeling of freedom.
“It’s you and it’s the wide-open sky and you don’t have to worry about anything as soon as you leave that door. And I think she enjoyed that,” said Zerlan.
The backstory:
Arizona is one of many states the Minnesota native has jumped from.
Five years ago, Ann Wick took a trip to Florida where she met a lifelong friend in Zerlan.
“We have a bond, you know, because of the nature of our hobby or profession,” said Zerlan. “She found a home within that.”
This trip to the Valley was about female employment in the sport. An annual jump with “sis” or sisters in skydiving, when things took a turn.
“The jump was clean,” Zerlan said.
Zerlan says it was a jump of four skydivers. All the parachutes were fully deployed, but for Wick, the problems came at the end.
Dig deeper:
Witnesses say the canopy was turning, but no corrective actions were taken.
“The problems occurred towards the end of the canopy ride. When you’re starting to form up for landing, some of the most dangerous times during a skydive is during the landing,” said Zerlan.
In a statement to FOX 10, Sky Dive Arizona says the following:
“The community is saddened by the loss of a cherished member of the Skydiving family. We extend our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends during this incredibly difficult time. Skydive Arizona is cooperating fully with local authorities to assist in the investigation of this incident and remains committed to upholding the highest safety standards.”
Zerlan says every parachute is required to have an emergency chute in this case her reserve chute was not deployed.
