The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office says a Rochester man killed in a skydiving accident Saturday evening was an experienced instructor. The Sheriff’s Office is working with the F.A.A. and the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office to find out what went wrong.
Multiple crews were called to a field adjacent to the Pine Hill Airport at Pask and Pine Hill Roads about 7:20 Saturday evening. Undersheriff Christopher Bourke says they found the 30-year-old victim in the field about three-quarters of a mile from the airport, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. They’re not releasing his identity at this time. The WNY Skydiving Club says the victim was an experienced skydiver who had made more than 700 jumps.
The undersheriff says the victim and another club member went up about 7:00 p.m. from the Pine Hill Airport for a “sport jump.” The second skydiver landed, realized he couldn’t find his partner, and launched a search for him. The jump plane took off to assist in the search and members of the Barren and Clarendon Fire Companies joined sheriff’s deputies and State Police in searching for the victim.