ELOY, AZ — Police are investigating a deadly skydiving incident in Eloy.
Officials say the incident occurred on Wednesday around noon.
A statement from Skydive Arizona says "a highly experienced skydiver with several thousands of jumps" died after making a skydive.
Police say 73-year-old Terry Gardner from Casa Grande was with three other skydivers making their third jump of the day when the incident occurred. The group reportedly planned to do a formation jump from around 14,000 feet in the air.
Police say the other three divers landed safely but Gardner’s parachute experienced “unexpected complications” and did not fully deploy, causing a hard landing.
"One guy had the presence of mind to get his phone out and take a picture, and he showed the video to me and you can just see the gentleman spinning out of control," said witness Dale Davis.
Gardner had retired from the Casa Grande Elementary School District where he taught computer lessons to students in elementary school and provided IT support throughout our district.
"Terry’s passion was skydiving. He would tell us stories about his skydiving adventures and proudly displayed pictures of his jumps,” said Lisa Bradshaw, CGESD director of digital learning and strategy. "He also loved his dog and fixing computers."
"He approached every task with enthusiasm and a relentless commitment to excellence, leaving an indelible mark on the work he undertook," said Benjamin Katingima, CGESD network administrator.
Skydive Arizona says Gardner did not deploy his reserve parachute.
He was rushed to a Casa Grande hospital where he died from his injuries.
Eloy police say the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will be investigating the incident and working to determine if there was an issue with the parachute.
The skydiver was using parachute gear owned and maintained by the jumper and weather conditions were clear and calm, according to Skydive Arizona officials.
This comes just weeks after four people were killed in a hot air balloon crash in Eloy.
