A skydiving company on the NSW South Coast says it is “still too early” to understand exactly what caused a horrific accident that killed a father of six.
Roger Goltz, a Jervis Bay local who has been skydiving for decades, was doing his 77th jump on Saturday, accompanied by his 18-year-old son, when tragedy struck.
His wife, Kelly, told 7NEWS.com.au Roger, 48, turned too low and fast due to the wind, which put him at the wrong angle to land.
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“My son Kai came in after him and saw the crash but didn’t realise how bad it was or that it was his dad on the ground,” she said.
“It wasn’t until he saw his shoe on the ground that he knew … it was pretty horrific for him.”
Kelly said Roger suffered a critical head injury upon hitting the ground, which knocked him unconscious.
“There was a Toll helicopter nearby which airlifted him to Canberra where he was pronounced dead on Sunday,” she said.
Kelly said the incident was a freak accident, however the circumstances are still being investigated.
Skydive Oz in Moruya has since explained Roger’s parachute opened and functioned normally.
Skydive Oz Moruya Heads chief instructor Paul Smith was at the drop zone when the incident occurred and said safety was always his highest priority.
“At Skydive Oz, we do everything we can to make it as safe as possible for all of our members, regardless of their level of experience, and the close-knit skydiving community here is devastated that this has occurred,” he told 7NEWS.com.au.
“We are incredibly grateful to the first responders and emergency services personnel who provided first aid care and arranged for his helicopter flight to Canberra.”
Australian Parachute Federation (APF) CEO Stephen Porter said all serious parachute incidents were investigated to understand the cause and to improve safety measures for the future.
“Our thoughts are with the man’s family and everyone involved at this tragic time,” he said.
“(A) training officer arrived on site at Moruya Heads on Saturday night to begin a thorough investigation into the cause of the incident.”
‘Going to miss their best friend’
Meanwhile, Kelly went on to describe Roger as a loving father who “always chased adventure”.
“The kids are going to miss their best friend,” she said.
“My eldest daughter was saying just today that dad could make anything happen.”
Following the tragedy, Kelly says their family risks losing their Jervis Bay home.
“We can’t afford to keep it,” she said.
“But we desperately don’t want to lose it.”
A GoFundMe has since been organised to help support the family, who say they have been left with an ‘irreplaceable void in our hearts’.