Skydiver plummets to death in Arizona – the second parachutist to lose their life there in just over a week
An Arizona man died while skydiving over the weekend during a “hard landing,” making him the second skydiver to die in the area in just over a week.
Shawn Bowen, 46, of Gilbert, Arizona, died from injuries he sustained after his parachute failed to open during his jump toward Eloy, Arizona, according to the Eloy Police Department. Bowen exited an airplane around 11:40 a.m. Saturday in what police described as a “wingsuit-type apparatus” and began his descent, FOX News Digital reports.
“During the freefall, for reasons that remain unknown at this time, his parachute did not deploy, resulting in fatal impact,” police said in a statement.
Investigators are coordinating with the Federal Aviation Administration and are trying to speak to any witnesses who saw the incident.
Bowen’s autopsy has been scheduled for later this week. It’s unclear if he was participating in a jump with an organization or it was planned on his own.
This is the second skydiving death in the Eloy area in eight days, according to local police.
On January 24, Ann Wick, 55, died while she was skydiving at Skydive Arizona. She reportedly suffered complications during her descent, police said.
Skydive Arizona said in a statement at the time that witnesses saw Wick’s parachute deploy successfully, but noted that the “canopy was turning” as she continued to descend. The witnesses said they did not see Wick take corrective action to keep the canopy in place, and said her reserve chute never deployed.
Last year, four people died in a hot air balloon crash in Eloy.
That incident occurred on January 14, 2024, killing the balloon’s pilot and three passengers. A few days after that, Terry Gardner, 73, died while skydiving at Skydive Arizona on January 31.
Like Bowen, Gardner also reportedly died after suffering a hard landing. Ian MacKenzie, a spokesman for Skydive Arizona, said at the time that Gardner was a “highly experienced skydiver” who had jumped several thousand times, according to the Arizona Republic.
