Man, 61, killed during a skydiving lesson in Argentina when his parachute failed to open
Man, 61, killed while skydiving in Argentina when his parachute failed to open – after posting a photo of him ‘practicing’ his new hobby
- Héctor Vaccaro was killed on Sunday while taking skydiving lessons in Argentina
- The 61-year-old experienced problems opening his parachute before crashing into a field near the parachuting school he attended
- Vaccaro spent the past four decades working at the state-owned agency that manages running water and sewerage
A 61-year-old man who was just learning to skydive died in Argentina after his parachute failed to open.
Héctor Vaccaro jumped from a small plane on Sunday afternoon and crashed into a field near the skydiving center in the city of Lobos in Buenos Aires.
The tragic accident occurred during the fourth of seven professional classes Vaccaro took at the skydiving school, according to the Argentine newspaper La Nación.
Vaccaro’s daughter broke the news that he jumped out of the plane and was unable to open the main parachute.
Héctor Vaccaro was killed on Sunday when he jumped from a plane in Lobos, Argentina, after failing to deploy his parachute. The 61-year-old shared the above photo while taking a skydive lesson on June 4
Héctor Vaccaro was taking professional skydiving lessons in Argentina when he died on Sunday. The 61-year-old is pictured strapped to another diver during a trip in February 2022
“There was a second parachute that opened at a certain altitude and speed, but it looked like something that came loose got caught in part of his body,” she said.
The woman recalled jumping out of a plane together for her birthday in February.
“It was like our birthday present,” she said.
His body was taken to the city of La Plata for an autopsy as part of the investigation overseen by the local prosecutor’s office.
In addition to jumping planes, Vaccaro also sought adventures by diving in Argentina
Héctor Vaccaro was a divorced father of two adult children. His daughter told La Nación newspaper that he had gone skydiving in February as a birthday present to each other
Vaccaro’s most recent Facebook post on June 4 included a photo of himself and another man skydiving.
“Practice,” read the caption of the divorced father of two.
His page on the social media platform featured an additional photo of himself strapped under another man’s parachute straps during a February 2022 skydive trip.
“I congratulate you Héctor on the courage you have,” one of his friends wrote.
The thrill-seeking Vaccaro also sought underwater adventures, as evidenced by a short video clip of him diving through caves in November 2021 and posing in front of a jet on the seabed in August 2020.
Vaccaro spent four decades working for Argentine Water and Sanitation, the state-owned agency that oversees running water and sewage systems.
‘He was more than my boss. He was my guide, a friend,” Pablo Guglielmo told La Nación. “It will be difficult to return to the office on Wednesday.”