One paratrooper was killed, and at least one other soldier was injured during a training parachute jump on Sept. 13 at the Army’s Joint Readiness Training Center in Louisiana, Task & Purpose has learned.
Army Pfc. Matthew Perez was killed during the jump at the training center’s Geronimo Drop Zone, Task & Purpose confirmed on Tuesday. The other soldier has not been identified.
The Army released a statement on Monday that confirmed Perez’s death but did not say in that statement that he was killed in a parachuting accident nor mention that a second soldier had been injured in the exercise.
Task & Purpose has learned that Army officials initially suspect a parachute malfunction may have caused Perez’s death, but the Army will launch a full investigation into what happened, as the service does with every training accident death.
“The entire XVIII Airborne Corps mourns the loss of Pvt. First Class Matthew Perez,” Army Lt. Gen. Chris Donahue, the corps commander, said in a statement. “Paratroopers like him are what make this nation and our Army great, and his loss is truly heartbreaking for the Sky Dragon family. Our priority is ensuring that his family receives the support and care they deserve during this difficult time.”
No information about the circumstances of the training accident have been publicly released.
“The incident is under investigation,” said Army Lt. Col. César Santiago, a spokesman for the 82nd Airborne Division. “We are ensuring the integrity of the investigation process and unable to provide details at this time.”
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The Army has reported a total of 15 training exercise deaths so far in Fiscal 2024, which ends on Sept. 30, according to the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center. Of those fatalities, six occurred during ground training events and nine deaths happened during aviation training.
By way of comparison, the Army reported 23 training accident fatalities in Fiscal Year 2023 – nine deaths during ground training events and 14 during aviation training.
Deaths during military parachute training are unusual, but they do happen. In April, Sgt. Colin Arslanbas, a Reconnaissance Marine assigned to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, died in a parachuting accident during the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Composite Unit Training Exercise.
Separately, Army Sgt. 1st Class Dominic Perry, a member of the U.S. Army Parachute Team, died in June after being injured in a non-duty related parachute jump.
Parachute malfunctions
The Army did not confirm what type of parachute Perez was using but soldiers in the 82nd Airborne generally use a T-11 parachute which is a static line-style parachute system. Static line parachutes deploy automatically when a paratrooper jumps from their aircraft. Static line parachutes are fairly simple to prepare and use and allow dozens of paratroopers to jump together within seconds from low altitudes over a drop zone.
However, because of that low altitude, if the main parachute fails to deploy or open properly, the paratrooper has just seconds to recognize the failure and activate their reserve parachute.
Malfunctions of static line parachutes are relatively uncommon, but when they do occur, they can come from a myriad of sources. Malfunctions can occur after an error in packing by the specially trained riggers that prepare Army parachutes, mistakes in how a paratrooper wears the parachute, technical errors by the jumper or the in-flight supervisors of the jump, or other issues outside a jumper’s controll like bad weather or an incorrect “spot” — or drop location — by the plane’s crew.
However, all aspects of military parachute training is rife with double-checks and safety precautions and fatalities are exceedingly rare.
UPDATE: 9/17/2024; This article has been updated with confirmation that Private Matthew Perez was killed in during parachute training and that a second paratrooper was injured.