Man In Wingsuit Dies After Crash Landing In Lodi Vineyard
LODI (CBS13) — One person is dead following a skydiving accident in Lodi on Wednesday evening.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the incident happened around 4:15 p.m. when a man in a wingsuit landed in a nearby vineyard.
It's an unsettling reality for those who take to the skies, the possibility that something could go wrong.
"We knew whenever we hear the helicopters that something is going on," said Fran Glenn.
Glenn lives less than a mile from Lodi Parachute Center. She says over the years, some successful dives have landed in her backyard.
"Luckily our field was empty we didn't have all these trees. So they'd just land and we would haul them back," said Glenn.
On Wednesday, a different ending for one skydiver.
"That is scary," said Glenn.
Unfortunate incidents near the Lodi Parachute Center is not uncommon.
Since 2000, 14 people have perished while skydiving in the area. That includes an 18-year-old and an instructor last year. In that case, it was found that the instructor with Lodi Parachute Center wasn't properly certified.
Over the years, problems have surrounded the Lodi Parachute Center.
"The action is aimed at 140 individuals," Said Ed Scott, with the United States Parachute Association.
Last year the US Parachute Association found the Lodi Parachute Center had more than 100 instructors without proper training or certification.
The company has been fined twice in the past for issues with their planes.
And lawmakers are calling for tighter regulations, Glenn agrees.
"I think they need to regulate as much as they can and as strict as they can," said Glenn.
The San Joaquin County Coroner's Office has identified the man as 42-year-old June Lake resident Matthew Ciancio. We reached out to Lodi Parachute Center for comment and have not heard back.
Wednesday's death comes just over a year since this a plane skydiving plane crashed in a Lodi vineyard. The plane landed upside down, and everyone survived.
RAW VIDEO: Cockpit View Of Lodi Skydiving Plane Crash
WARNING: Strong language is used in this video, as you might expect in a plane crash.
