Marin County Man Dies In Skydiving Accident

By: Tony Cassara - Fri, 06 Apr 2012 22:28:10 -0800

REGIONAL (AP) - A 71-year-old Marin County man has been identified as the parachutist who died in a skydiving accident in San Joaquin County.

Sheriff's officials say William Calhoun of Novato died after coming down in a vineyard in Lodi Thursday afternoon.

The incident is under investigation, but witnesses told firefighters that Calhoun's parachute had become tangled during the 13,000-foot jump.

Bill Dause, the owner of The Parachute Center, says Calhoun was an experienced skydiver who had performed about 1,000 jumps. Dause believes Calhoun might have experienced a "hard opening" which may have prevented him from controlling his parachute.

Dause's center reported the incident to the Federal Aviation Administration, which sent an investigator to check on the packing of the parachute and to review the parachute log and parachute packing card.

(Copyright 2012, Associated Press, All rights reserved.)
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