Overview
- A 28-year-old man fell about 30 feet during a landing at Jumptown Skydiving and was taken to Athol Hospital where he was pronounced dead after first responders arrived at about 4 p.m. on Sunday.
- Officials identified the victim as Mani Chandra Teja Gaddam of Boston and said a preliminary probe found a sudden, unexpected gust of wind interfered with his parachute during landing.
- Gaddam had recently earned a USPA A Licence that allows independent jumps and was not accompanied by an instructor at the time of the accident.
- Jumptown Skydiving said the jumper appears to have been caught in an unusual, unpredictable weather event described by the company as a dust devil and that it is cooperating with investigators.
- The Northwestern district attorney's office, Massachusetts State Police, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the FAA are reviewing the case and the facility's recent safety record while the family has set up fundraising to cover funeral expenses.