One dead, one rescued in Nashville skydiving accident

A skydiving instructor is dead after he apparently became separated from another skydiver during a tandem jump in Nashville on Saturday.

Police said they found the 35-year-old instructor's body via helicopter around 6:45 p.m. They believe he fell without a chute.

The other skydiver, reportedly on his first ever jump, became lodged in a tree with an open parachute in the woods near Ashland City Highway, which is in northwest Nashville. Rescue crews were able to get him down safely from the tree after an hours-long effort. He was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure.

Three other skydivers who jumped moments earlier landed safely, and the plane landed safely at Tune Airport, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department.

They said it appears the instructor came loose from the harness while the other person remained attached to the parachute.

Crews had to work their way through three miles of densely wooded area off Ashland City Highway using chainsaws to clear a path to reach the man suspended high in a tree. The crews rigged up several ladders to reach high enough to get the person down.

The Federal Aviation Administration will be investigating the incident.

The identity of the instructor or the man who was rescued were not released on Saturday.


(Photo: Nashville Fire Dept.)