A skydiver instructor in Chester, S.C. who was sharing a parachute with a first-time jumper suffered a heart attack during a jump on Saturday, authorities reported.

 

During a 6-minute jump, George C. “Chip” Steele, 49, of Sumter, S.C., who was strapped to a first-time skydiver, became unresponsive. The US military member who was with him managed to keep himself together and land safely in Chester County. He then tried to revive the instructor but too much time likely had elapsed for CPR to be effective, Chester County Deputy Coroner Keith Hudson said.

 

Referring to the first-time jumper, whose identity has not been revealed, Hudson said his experience as a soldier “helped him out a lot as far as making it to the ground safely.” He also followed a 30-minute safety course, which is mandatory for first-time jumpers.

 

Steele was working for Skydive Carolina Parachute Center, which opened in July of 1986 at the Chester Catawba Airport near Chester, S.C. He had made thousands of jumps in the last couple of decades, the company’s general manager James LaBarrie said.

 

“There was no equipment malfunction whatsoever. From what we understand, the instructor evidently had something go wrong medically,” LaBarrie added.

 

This is the second accident of this kind in the history of the company. The first accident happened in 1989, when a 42-year-old man died after he apparently failed to open either his main or reserve chute.