Viral video: In a tragic incident in Sao Conrado, Brazil, 49-year-old skydiving instructor and army veteran Jose de Alencar Lima Junior lost his life after a failed attempt at speed flying—a high-speed air sport similar to paragliding. Video footage of the accident, now viral on social media, shows Lima losing balance right as his parachute deployed, causing him to plummet from a cliffs edge nearly 820 feet onto rocks below. In the background, a concerned woman is heard saying, “Guys, I am worried.”Eyewitnesses suggest that Lima may have tripped on a hole at the edge, contributing to his fatal fall. Police are investigating possible equipment failure as a contributing factor.FATALIDADEJosé de Alencar Lima Junior, de 49 anos, morreu neste domingo (3) ao tentar decolar de speed fly na Pedra Bonita, em São Conrado, zona sul do Rio de Janeiro. O acidente ocorreu no momento em que o piloto se preparava para o voo e corria para ganhar velocidade. pic.twitter.com/UFDiIu1J0Z— BT Mais (@belemtransito) November 4, 2024Jumping from a restricted areaAccording to the Clube Sao Conrado de Voo Livre (CSCLV), the organization that manages the site at Pedra Bonita, Lima did not take off from the designated ramp but instead accessed a trail and jumped from an unauthorized spot. The pilot did not use the ramp to take off. The spot he chose for takeoff is bad and even prohibited. The CSCLV is not responsible for the incident, read a statement from CSCLV, concluding with condolences for Limas death.An experienced skydiving veteranLima, a member of the Brazilian Armys Parachute Infantry Brigade, had been a professional skydiving instructor for over 20 years. Known for his expertise, he lived in Germany but was visiting family in Brazil at the time of the accident. His sister-in-law described the incident as a tragic accident. “We have no idea what could have happened. But he was a professional skydiver with two decades of experience,” she shared.Skydiving incidents on the rise in BrazilThis tragic event follows another incident last month, when 40-year-old Chilean skydiver Carolina Munoz Kennedy died during a jump in Boituva, Brazil, after both her main and reserve parachutes failed to open correctly, leading to a fatal fall.
