Advertisement

Skydiver in fatal Zephyrhills jump identified by police

 
Published Nov. 14, 2017

ZEPHYRHILLS — An experienced parachutist died Monday while practicing a skydiving technique called "tracking" at Skydive City, said general manager David "T.K." Hayes.

The skydiver was identified as Kurt A. Tracy, 36, by Zephyrhills police on Tuesday.

The incident took place around 4:30 p.m. Monday. Tracy's parachute failed to open while jumping from 13,500 feet with a group, police said. He was taken to Zephyrhills Municipal Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. He had performed more than 250 jumps, police said.

Tracy and the group of skydivers he was with were "tracking," or performing horizontal body movements while free-falling, according to a statement released by Hayes on Tuesday.

After the group landed, they noticed Tracy was missing. His body was found at the far west end of the landing area at Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, according to SkyDive City.

Hayes said they found "no defects in the assembly or functionality of the equipment" that Tracy used. It will be sent to the Federal Aviation Administration, which will continue investigating.