14 DAY TRIAL // A man has died while executing low altitude maneuvers during a skydive in Ray Township, Michigan.
Experienced skydiver Ryan Bernek died when he touched ground too early, during the execution of a move that is known as “swooping.”
According to NY Daily News, the move, also referred to as a “high performance canopy flight,” entails remaining airborne while flying close to the ground at high speeds, for the longest amount of time possible.
“The dive that he executed was a little too low and as a result he impacted the ground prematurely,” Randy Allison, manager of Midwest Freefall Sport Parachute Club in Ray Township, assesses.
"Ken is a very good friend of mine… was. It's kind of hard to say that. […] He was a mentor to a lot of people here and a guy that always had a smile on his face — this saddened us greatly.
“He was very accomplished and well-respected in the community and very well-credentialed,” she describes.
The Waterford Township man landed in Macomb County, on top of a 53-year-old pedestrian. He started to lose control and fall at around 6:20 p.m. He died on Saturday night as a result of the injuries he incurred.
Lt. Michael Shaw informed that he hit a tree before landing on the woman, Macomb Daily wrote.
“This type of accident is pretty rare. [...] They run a pretty good club over there. But anytime you’re jumping out of an airplane at 13,000 feet (4,000 meters), you’re taking a risk,” Ray Township Assistant Fire Chief Cecil Schoenherr comments.
The victim was part of the Midwest Freefall Sport Parachute Club, which has reported a similar incident this season.
Bernek landed on the Kunstman air strip. The woman he hit was hospitalized with non-life-threatening wounds and she is expected to recover.