Skydiver plunges to her death after parachute malfunctions

Federal Aviation Administration launches investigation after woman's body found in field

The unnamed victim had been using her own equipment [stock] (Getty)

A veteran skydiver fell to her death after her parachute failed to open in California.

Officials said the incident happened after the woman, who has not been named, took off in a plane from an airfield near Sacramento.

She had been using her own equipment when she jumped out of the plane and was killed when her personal parachute malfunctioned.

Her body was discovered in a field near the airport runway used by the Lodi Parachute Center, California-based newspaper The Record reported.

The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation.

"The agency’s skydiving accident investigations typically are limited to determining whether the parachute was properly packed by the appropriate person," an FAA spokesperson said.

The death is the latest in a series of fatalities and violations associated with the Lodi Parachute Center. Between 1999 and 2017 at least 15 skydivers have died after taking off from the venue, The Record reported.

In May 2017, experienced skydiver Matthew Ciancio, 42, was killed while performing a 13,000-foot jump wearing a wingsuit. He had also taken off from the Lodi centre and witnesses watched as he and his canopy spun wildly after he released his parachute at about 4,000 feet.

Months later, another skydiver was left in critical condition when his parachute got tangled up and he landed on a horse trailer.

The Independent has contacted the skydiving centre for comment.