Parachutist dies in accident

A fellow parachutist manually released the parachute of a 69-year-old man this morning, but was unable to prevent his death, police said


The parachutist descended in a slow spiral over Motueka, near Nelson, after his parachute was activated, clipping the roof of an industrial building before tumbling to the ground.


He was dead when paramedics arrived at the scene.


A St John Ambulance spokeswoman said the incident was first reported at 9.57am. Emergency calls then flooded in, indicating that a number of people had witnessed the fall, she said.


Police said the victim made a solo jump over Motueka just before 10am.


During the jump a second parachutist noticed that the man had become unresponsive and managed to release his parachute manually.


An initial investigation suggested the incident was not the result of equipment failure.


The man's death has been reported to the coroner.


Both the Civil Aviation Authority and the police are investigating.


- NZPA