Horrified family watches teen, instructor fall to death in Georgia skydiving accident
A college-bound teen and her instructor were killed in a tragic skydiving accident in Georgia on Sunday, family members say.
Jeanna Renee Triplicata, 18, fell to her death when a tandem jump with Skydive Atlanta instructor Nick Esposito, 35, “went horribly wrong,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Esposito also died in the accident, according to the newspaper.
Triplicata recently graduated from Northgate High School in Newnan and planned to study education at the University of North Georgia this fall, her family told the AJC. The teen had a few things she wanted to scratch off her bucket list before heading to college, and skydiving was one of them.
“Jeanna wasn’t scared a bit,” the teen’s father, Joey Triplicata told AJC. “She had wanted to do this, for whatever reason.”
Sunday’s accident occurred when the pair’s primary parachute didn’t open properly, The Newnan Times-Herald reported, citing local law enforcement officials. The emergency parachute also didn’t have enough time “to fully deploy,” officials said.
Triplicata and Esposito landed near the Thomaston-Upson County Airport, according to the newspaper.
The Upson County Sheriff’s Office was called to the scene at around 12:45 p.m. and found “two skydivers in a field,” the Griffin Daily News reported. Both were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the paper.
Joey Triplicata said the family was there to watch Jeanna’s dive and noticed a parachute “spinning out of control” in the distance, according to the AJC. They initially weren’t sure it was hers but were soon given the tragic news.
“It was the worst day of our lives,” the teen’s father told the AJC. “It doesn’t even seem real. We’re going to miss her every day for the rest of our lives.”
The family said they didn’t see the landing.
Skydive Atlanta said it’s working with local investigators and the FAA to determine what went wrong.
“Our community is devastated for both our team member and the student and their respective families,” company owner Trey Holladay told McClatchy News in a statement. “We are all stunned and truly at a loss for words as we are a tight-knit family. We have spoken with the next of kin and are asking for privacy while we process and grieve.”
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched on the Triplicatas’ behalf to help with funeral expenses.
“Jeanna was a fearless, loving, and beautiful daughter,” the donation page reads. “While there is nothing that we can do to bring back this sweet soul nor replace her spirit, we are all speechless and looking for a way to support the Triplicata family. These funds will be used to pay for her final farewell and support for her family during their very long painful grieving process.”
As of Monday, the campaign had raised just over $7,000 in donations.
In an emotional Facebook post, Jeanna’s mother recalled seeing her off before she and her grandmother took to the sky.
“Since Jeanna turned 18 she had been wanting to skydive,” Bridgette Sands Triplicata wrote. “They jumped and mom’s landing was perfect, she had a blast but Jeanna’s didn’t come down where she was supposed to and where we could see her. Tragically, we lost our oldest daughter today.”
“Obviously we are devastated beyond words,” Bridgette Triplicata wrote, “and the next few days, weeks, months and well ever will be difficult.”
This story was originally published July 13, 2020 at 6:52 PM with the headline "Horrified family watches teen, instructor fall to death in Georgia skydiving accident."