Australian champion skydiver dives to death while trying new jumping method in the US: ‘Skydiving was her life’
- Australian skydiver dies in US
- Melissa Porter was testing new jump
An Australian champion skydiver has died while testing a new jumping method in the United States just weeks after helping set a national record.
Melissa Porter, from Port Kennedy in Western Australia, died June 24 at the Skydive Spaceland Houston facility in Texas.
Shocked onlookers reportedly saw a parachute deploy after Ms Porter jumped from the plane but then made a hard landing.
Investigators have yet to determine whether Ms. Porter suffered a medical emergency during the dive or died from the impact.
Ms Porter’s death was confirmed by local police on Sunday after friends identified her body, sparking an outpouring of tributes.
The Australian skydiving community has been shaken by the shocking death of Melissa Porter
Ms. Porter had spent at least a month in Texas preparing for the jump and recently shared footage of her training at iFLY El Paso.
“Finally sent a head into the tunnel,” she captioned the video.
Fellow parachutists have taken to social media to express their grief and pay tribute.
“We have lost such a beautiful person. Rest in peace Mel,” one person wrote.
The Department of State and Commerce provides consular assistance to Mrs. Porter’s devastated family.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the woman’s family,” a DFAT spokesperson added.
Porter helped set a skydiving record in Queensland in May.
She was one of 23 women to jump at Skydive Ramblers in Toogoolawah on May 6, completing the ‘2-point 23 way’, an Australian total-break consecutive record for women.
More to come