Skydiving instructor presumed dead after tandem jump goes terribly wrong

LEBANON, Maine - The search for the body of a skydiving instructor who somehow became detached from his student during a tandem jump at Skydive New England on Thursday will continue today.

The incident occurred around 2 p.m. when police say the two were involved in a tandem jump. After the instructor became detached the student landed safely and uninjured.

The search, concentrated around the Skydive New England facility, comprised State Police on the ground and in an airplane as well as Game Wardens and Forestry personnel.

The incident was reported by the student skydiver after he landed safety.

The two were involved in a tandem jump, meaning both jumped together with the same parachute. The instructor did not have a backup.

The two were about a mile in the air when they became separated, a fall that would not be survivable, experts say.

Jumps normally begin at 14,000 and include a full minute of freefall, according the Skydive New England website.

Neither the name of the skydiving instructor nor the student who survived were released.

The last serious accident at Skydive New England was in August 2010 when an experienced parachutist miscalculated his landing and received life threatening injuries when he struck some trees outside the landing zone.