A 46-year-old man from Gilbert, Arizona, tragically died while skydiving in Eloy, Arizona, on Saturday after suffering a “hard landing” when his parachute failed to deploy. The incident occurred near Hanna and Tweedy Road, where authorities discovered Shawn Bowen’s body after responding to reports of a parachutist experiencing a hard landing.
Bowen, who was using a wingsuit-type apparatus, jumped around 11:40 a.m. on Saturday. According to preliminary reports from the Eloy Police Department, Bowen’s parachute did not deploy during freefall for reasons still under investigation. The failure of the parachute resulted in Bowen’s fatal injuries upon impact with the ground.
The Eloy Police Department is coordinating with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to investigate the incident, a standard procedure in such cases. Witnesses are being interviewed as part of the ongoing investigation, and an autopsy has been scheduled to help determine the exact cause of death.
This tragic incident follows the death of another skydiver in Eloy just eight days earlier. On January 24, 55-year-old Ann Wick from Minnesota died after her parachute, which had deployed fully as designed, began to turn unexpectedly during her descent. Despite the parachute functioning properly, Wick suffered complications during her landing, leading to her death.
The two fatalities in such a short period have drawn attention to safety concerns at Skydive Arizona, the location where both incidents occurred. Skydive Arizona had stated that eyewitnesses to Wick’s jump noted that her freefall phase appeared normal, but the canopy of her parachute began turning, which may have contributed to the complications during her descent.
Authorities are continuing their investigations into both incidents, with Bowen’s death raising further questions about the factors that led to the parachute failure and the broader safety protocols at the skydiving center.
