1 dead, 1 injured in skydiving accident in Arizona

Maricopa: A skydiving student died and an instructor was injured in a tandem jump in Arizona, authorities said.

Pinal County Sheriff's spokesman Mark Clark said a malfunction or failure occurred yesterday, leading to a hard-impact landing. Firefighters pronounced the 26-year-old female student dead. The 40-year-old male instructor was hospitalised with two broken legs and was expected to survive.

They were taking part in a tandem jump in which two people, typically a certified skydiver or instructor and a student, are joined by a harness.

In a post on their Facebook page, Skydive Phoenix said the student was conducting her second jump for their Accelerated Skydiving Program and a main parachute did not deploy. A reserve parachute was flying properly but encountered turbulence during the landing.

The student's identity will not be released until next of kin has been notified, Clark said.

The Federal Aviation Administration is conducting its own investigation. FAA spokesman Ian Gregor says the FAA investigates incidents involving civilian jumps to see if a parachute was properly used.