KEY POINTS:
A professional skydiving instructor died after appearing to misjudge a high-speed landing, the Parachute Industry Association's chief says.
Simon Hepple was attempting to land at Mercer Airfield on Saturday.
"That's pretty much all we've got so far," association chief executive Keith Gallaher said yesterday.
Mr Hepple, a 32-year-old Briton who had been living in NZ for the past 2- years, was a tandem jump instructor based at Mercer. He had been diving with six workmates after hours when he was killed.
Witnesses told police Mr Hepple hit the ground at speed when landing with his parachute fully inflated. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Acting Sergeant Wayne Paxton of Pukekohe police said witness accounts made equipment failure an unlikely factor. "In their terms, he lost air in his chute."
Witnesses had said Mr Hepple appeared to have lost the air flow keeping his parachute buoyant during the final turn before landing.
"He'd had nothing to hold him up, basically."
The final determination will be made by the Parachute Industry association, which will issue its interim report within the next 10 days.
Mr Hepple was believed to have been employed by NZ Skydive Auckland, the only skydiving company operating at Mercer.
A spokeswoman for the company confirmed the fatality and said the matter was being investigated.
Mr Hepple's next of kin have been informed and are expected to arrive here tomorrow.
