Officials have since suspended the organization that operated the jump through June 30
Credit: Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- A 21-year-old man died during a skydiving accident on May 24
- Investigators said Martin Brachet’s death was caused by “a blatant lack of communication” between the pilot and others on board the plane
- Officials have since suspended the organization that operated the jump through June 30
A young man was killed in a tragic skydiving accident because a pilot did not know that more than one person would be jumping from the plane.
The incident occurred in Frétoy-le-Château in northern France on May 24, according to GB News, The Sun and Courrier Picard.
The man was identified as 21-year-old Martin Brachet, per the outlets.
Credit: Getty
Recently released findings from an investigation into the incident, orchestrated by the French Parachuting Federation, stated that the tragedy was caused by a miscommunication between the plane’s pilot and others on board.
“There were two jumps planned that day," Federation president Yves-Marie Guillau said in a statement, per GB News and The Sun.
“The pilot leveled the plane in jump configuration and turned on the green light to give the signal to [the] jumpmaster,” Guillau added, referring to the person who is responsible for coordinating the jump and ensuring that skydivers exit the aircraft safely.
The pilot, however, was not aware that more than one person was going to jump during the first scheduled jump point.
“After the first jump, [the pilot] turned off the green light that authorizes jumps, throttled up and pulled back on the stick to gain altitude,” Guillau explained.
Credit: Getty
“That’s when he jumped. He was hit in the neck by the plane’s rear wing and died instantly,” Guillau continued, referring to Brachet.
“His reserve parachute deployed, but once he hit the ground, it was too late. This lack of information proved fatal,” he added.
Guillau said that “a blatant lack of communication” is what ultimately led to the tragic incident.
“It’s unbearable because everyone did their job. It came down to mere seconds,” he stated, per the report, according to GB News and the Sun.
“If the parachutist had exited while the plane was stable, it wouldn’t have happened. If the pilot had known there was a second parachutist, it wouldn’t have happened either. There are so many ‘ifs,' " Guillau added. " It was a close call. It’s doubly tragic."
Skydive Frétoy, which organized the jump, has been ordered to cease operations until June 30, per the outlets.
The French Parachuting Federation and Skydive Frétoy did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Sunday, June 21.
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