The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the death of a parachuting trainer after he became separated from his client during a dive in Music City, TN.
Police report trainer Justin Fuller "is presumed to have fallen from the air without a safety chute" during the jump on Saturday.
The instructor, 35 years old, seems to have separated from his client and a dual harness, which links the two during a dive and includes the safety gear.
A police helicopter found Fuller's body in a forested zone some time after. Local emergency crews utilized multiple pieces of equipment to reach the 46-year old client who lived through the fall after being stuck on a tree branch for hours with the backup chute.
Police stated three other dives, which took place near a local airport, were carried out without incident prior to the fatal fall. The plane from which they leaped also touched down without issue.
The cause remains unknown how Mr Fuller, an seasoned parachutist, became separated from the protective gear.
A individual who assisted rescue teams in the rescue informed a local television station the client who authorities saved said "he was a first-time jumper, and it was going to be his last".
The instructor had recently written about his passion for instructing people how to skydive.
"Teaching people to skydive has consistently been in my view the most satisfying role at the jump site," the instructor said in an Instagram post in the summer.
"Observing students figure it out and begin maneuvering their bodies is always a heartwarming moment. Occasionally though, it can get a little hectic up there when you release a student for their initial attempt."
That same month he shared images of the wreckage a jump aircraft he was on saying the aircraft's motor had failed after take off. All 20 people aboard lived through the incident.
