Argentinian man, 61, killed in skydiving lesson after both parachutes malfunction

A 61-year-old man fell to his death on Sunday while learning how to skydive in Argentina, after both his parachutes failed to open.

Mr Hector Vaccaro was reportedly on his fourth of seven professional lessons at a skydiving school in Lobos, a city in Buenos Aires, when the mishap occurred.

His daughter told Argentine newspaper La Nacion that he was unable to open the main parachute when he jumped out of the airplane, sending him plummeting to a field near the school.

Although he had a reserve parachute, it “became detached and got entangled in a part of his body”, she said.

Mr Vaccaro’s body was taken to the city of La Plata for an autopsy. The investigation is being overseen by the local prosecutor’s office.

A photo posted to his Facebook page on June 4 showed Mr Vaccaro and another man skydiving. The caption read: “Practising.”

The divorced father-of-two also posted a video of him scuba-diving in a cave in November 2021, and a photo in August 2020 showed him posing in front of a jet on a seabed.

Mr Vaccaro’s daughter recalled skydiving with him in February for her birthday.

“It was like our birthday gift,” she said.

According to La Nacion, Mr Vaccaro worked 40 years for state-operated agency Argentine Water and Sanitation, which oversees water and sewage services. He lived in the Villa Devoto district of Buenos Aires.

His colleague Pablo Guglielmo told the newspaper: “He was more than my boss. He was my guide, a friend... It will be hard to return to the office on Wednesday.”