Investigators find parachute of skydiver who fell to his death in South Jersey
Investigators have located the parachute that a skydiver who fell to his death was wearing when he jumped from a plane over a South Jersey neighborhood. It may help authorities figure out what went wrong and led to the death of Paul Haaf, 54, of Monroe Township in Gloucester County.
Authorities on Tuesday said they had located the main parachute belonging to a skydiver who fell to his death in a South Jersey neighborhood over the weekend, a development they hope will help them determine what went wrong.
The parachute was found near the Atlantic City Expressway about a mile from where the body of Paul Haaf Jr. was found Sunday afternoon in the Williamstown section of Monroe Township, said Tom Gilbert, a spokesperson for the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office.
Haaf, 54, of Monroe Township, had jumped at 13,500 feet with a group of skydivers in a plane that took off from Cross Keys Airport in Williamstown, Gilbert said. Haaf and two others were to link up in the sky, but Haaf, the second to jump, had problems with his main parachute, he said.
An experienced skydiver with more than 1,200 jumps over a 14-year span, Haaf disconnected his main parachute and activated his auxiliary parachute, but was falling too rapidly for it to save him.
The main parachute, spotted by New Jersey state police in a wooded area during an aerial search Monday afternoon, may help investigators piece together what happened, Gilbert said. The Prosecutor’s Office and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating, along with Monroe Township police.
Gilbert said investigators were trying to determine whether the backup parachute malfunctioned. An eyewitness reported seeing Haaf as he fell from the sky with the reserve parachute trailing him but not fully deployed. Haaf was pronounced dead at the scene and his death was ruled accidental by the county medical examiner.
“Whatever happened, he came down at a speed and a velocity and force that resulted in his fatality," Gilbert said Tuesday. "This is an unfortunate, tragic accident.”
It was at least the 10th fatality since 2002 for skydivers jumping from planes that took off from Cross Keys Airport, including one involving two skydivers who collided in the air, records show.
The airport, surrounded by homes and businesses, is home to Skydive Cross Keys, the company that operates the skydiving business. Business owner John Eddowes has not responded to messages seeking comment.
A popular option for skydivers from the region, Skydive Cross Keys has recorded more than 100,000 jumps. It was founded in 1994 by a group of sports enthusiasts and offers tandem jumps, in which a novice is tethered to an instructor, and skydiving training, according to its website. Tandem jump prices start at $199.
Dianne Haaf said her son — like most experienced skydivers — was “very safety conscious” and packed his own chutes. He took his first skydive at age 40 after receiving a tandem jump as a birthday gift and fell in love with the sport, she said. Haaf worked for Acme Markets and had an adult daughter.
A main parachute fails to deploy properly in only about one in 1,000 cases, Nancy Koreen, a spokesperson for the U.S. Parachute Association, said Tuesday. Jumpers are trained to disconnect their main parachute and activate their backup, she said.
“Ultimately, if you do have a main parachute malfunction, you should be able to land on your reserve,” Koreen said.
The FAA said it would conduct a review of the parachute and the reserve, standard procedure when there is a fatality. Koreen said investigators would check to see that both were packed by certified riggers.
Residents in the Brookdale neighborhood about two miles from the airport said they saw a shredded parachute falling across a backyard and heard a loud noise when Haaf landed on the street.
Gilbert said investigators were interviewing eyewitnesses and the skydivers who jumped with Haaf. They were treating the case as “an isolated incident, a risk that comes with the sport,” he said.
Last year, the parachute association recorded 13 fatal skydiving accidents nationwide out of roughly 3.3 million jumps, for a ratio of one fatality per 253,669 jumps.
Haaf was remembered by friends on his Facebook page as a fun-lover who died doing what he enjoyed.
“You went out a legend and you will fuel our stories for years to come. Fly high and rest easy. Blue skies. Black death,” wrote Matthew Risley.
A service for Haaf will be Tuesday, April 16, at 7:30 p.m. at Farnelli Funeral Home, 504 N. Main St., Williamstown, where friends may call from 6 to 7:30. Interment will be private.