An 18-Year Old Falls To Her Death On Her Birthday As Skydiving Parachute Fails To Open

Vanessa Ivonne Meléndez Cárdenas went skydiving on her birthday at Lake Tequesquitengo in Mexico and it turned into a tragedy. Cárdenas, along with her skydiving instructor, Mauricio Gutiérrez Castillo were both killed from allegedly having issues opening their parachute, which caused them to plummet into the earth at forceful speeds. A video that was recorded from individuals watching them jump has surfaced. Watch here via the DailyMail:

Here is more on the story via NewsWeek:

She was strapped to her instructor—identified by local media as Mauricio Gutiérrez Castillo, 34—who the Mail said had recorded more than 4,500 parachute jumps. He was also killed in the accident.

According to El Heraldo, the main parachute failed to open. The reserve did not function properly as it opened less than 1,300 feet above the ground, leaving the pair helpless and plummeting earthwards at more than 100 mph.

The incident was caught on video by bystanders on the ground filming descending parachutists. As four other pairs land normally, another can be seen falling at speed with the parachute above them not properly deployed. The Albatros club said the back-up canopy was opened at an altitude at which it “was impossible for the parachute to respond,” according to the Mail, meaning the pair could not be saved.

Emergency personnel later discovered both bodies in a grass field close to a major highway. They were taken away by the Morelos Prosecutor’s Office and an investigation has been opened to establish the cause of the tragedy.

Jorge Gaitán, the director of the Albatros club, said the company’s equipment was not to blame. He told Milenio he believes the failure of the two parachutes was caused by operator error. “The parachute was working well,” he explained. “Everything seems to indicate that [the problem] was the release of the parachute. That ultimately does not happen by accident: it is caused by a human.”

“It wasn’t equipment failure or anything like that,” he said. “It surely had to do with someone who was on that flight, who manipulated and activated the release mechanism.” The director also noted that witnesses saw the parachutists fall for at least two minutes, and that the fatal mishap appears to have occurred in the very final portion of the descent.

However, Gaitán said the investigation was ongoing and admitted that the company “still do not know what happened.”

This is such a sad story, and it’s even more heartbreaking that it occurred on what is suppose to be the happiest day of the year. Since the company said the parachute had no issues and he labled it as “human error”, we’re wondering what actually went wrong? Its not as if this was his first jump with a customer. Hopefully there will be a thorough investigation so they can address the issue and prevent it from happening again. Let’s keep both families of the deceased in our prayers as they go through this shocking and difficult time. We will be sure to update you on this story as soon as they release more information. And now, you are officially in the know!