An experienced skydiver has died after attempting a 1,500m drop despite both his parachutes successfully opening up.
Sandro Bigozzi, 49, who had completed more than 6,000 dives and had amassed 50,000 followers on Instagram, undertook the plunge at around 1pm on Saturday near Monte Compatri on the outskirts of Rome.
Minutes later he crashed onto grass. Police, firefighters and paramedics rushed to save him, but he died from the severe impact.
An investigation has been launched into the tragedy, and an autopsy is being carried out.
Bigozzi had a childhood passion for the sky. His final post on Facebook on Saturday read: ‘When I started skydiving as a student many years ago, the sea was a dream.
‘Who knows if I’ll ever be able to fly to the sea.’
The skydiver is survived by his wife and their two sons.
Authorities believe that while Bigozzi’s parachutes deployed, they did so too late to save him, Daily Mail reported.
They are also considering the possibility the parachuter fell ill during his daredevil stunt.
Alongside his professional skydiving, Bigozzi worked as a salesman for a pharmaceutical company.
Antonfrancesco Vivarelli Colonna, the mayor of Grosseta, Bigozzi’s hometown, said the skydiver had ‘left us too soon’.
He told RomaToday: ‘I had the honour of flying with him for the first time, a unique experience made unforgettable by his expertise and his smile.
‘His passion for flying was contagious, his enthusiasm authentic. We have lost not only a professional, but a special person, loved by so many.’
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