Australian Skydiving Champion Plunges to Death While Trying New Jumping Method in US: ‘Skydiving Was Her Life’
- Australian paratrooper died in US
- Melissa Porter was trying out a new jump
An Australian champion skydiver has died while trying out a new method of jumping in the United States just weeks after she helped set a national record.
Melissa Porter, from Port Kennedy in Western Australia, died at the Skydive Spaceland Houston facility in Texas on June 24.
Horrified onlookers reportedly watched a parachute deploy after Ms Porter jumped out of the plane but then made a crash landing.
Investigators have yet to determine if Ms. Porter experienced a medical emergency during the dive or died on impact.
Ms Porter’s death was confirmed by local police on Sunday after friends identified her body, prompting an outpouring of tributes.
Australia’s skydiving community has been shaken by the death of Melissa Porter
Ms. Porter spent at least a month in Texas preparing for the jump and recently shared footage of herself training at iFLY El Paso.
“He finally sent something headfirst into the tunnel,” he captioned the video.
Fellow skydivers have taken to social media to express their grief and pay tribute.
‘We lost such a beautiful person. Rest in peace Mel’, wrote one.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to Ms. Porter’s devastated family.
“We send our deepest condolences to the woman’s family,” added a DFAT spokesperson.
Porter helped set a skydiving record in Queensland in May.
She was one of 23 women to jump at the Skydive Ramblers in Toogoolawah on May 6, completing the ‘2-point 23 way’, an Australian women’s total break sequential record.
more to come
