2 men die in separate skydiving accidents over weekend, 1 a skydiving instructor



MONROE, Ga. — A Georgia skydiving instructor has died during a parachute landing.

Monroe police Chief Keith Glass tells local news outlets the accident that killed 49-year-old Joseph Bennett happened just before 2:40 p.m. Saturday at Monroe-Walton County Airport.

Fellow skydivers gave Bennett first aid until emergency responders arrived. He was flown to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, where he later died.

Bennett was an instructor for Skydive Monroe and lived in Buford. Skydive Monroe Owner Bill Scott says Bennett had been skydiving for many years and made more than 6,000 drops.

He says there were no equipment failures or missteps in the drop Saturday and that Bennett just "misjudged his landing approach."

Meanwhile, an off-duty Massachusetts police detective has died after a hard landing while parachuting at a Connecticut airport.

Authorities say 62-year-old Springfield resident James Hansmann was reported seriously hurt around 11:30 a.m. Sunday at the Ellington Airport. He was flown to Hartford Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Police say Hansmann's parachute was functioning properly, and there is no criminal aspect to his death.

Hansmann was a detective lieutenant with the Leyden Police Department in Franklin County, Massachusetts.

Leyden Police Chief Daniel Galvis says the department is devastated by the loss. Galvis says Hansmann had been with the department since 2003.