Two Veteran Skydivers Killed After Parachutes Fail to Open During Jump

Two highly experienced skydivers, Ermes Zampa (70) and Violetta Laiketsion (63), have died after their parachutes failed during a skydiving jump.

The tragic incident occurred on December 14, during a scheduled jump involving 14 skydivers. Reports indicate that Ermes was the first to jump, while Violetta was the last.

Ermes Zampa had more than 30 years of skydiving experience and had completed over 2,000 jumps. He was also known to be an instructor. Violetta Laiketsion, equally experienced, had carried out over 6,000 jumps before her death.

According to reports, at the final stage of the descent—approximately 100 feet from the ground—the two parachutes became tangled, lost air, and failed to deploy properly, leaving no time for recovery. The director of Skydive Fano, Roberto Mascio, spoke about the incident, saying: “Someone at the airfield filmed the incident while the parachutists were descending.

“The video was taken by the authorities.

“In the footage, you could see the two canopies touching and then collapsing.

“In that situation, you’re really too close to the ground to make a decision;n, there’s very little time.

“Only a few seconds passed between impact and crash; it was a disaster.”

“I’ve known Violetta and Ermes for a long time; seeing what happened is truly painful.

“They had done countless jumps: Violetta had over 6,000, and Ermes over 2,000, and he was also an instructor.”

“Lately, accidents are mainly due to human error; all it takes is a moment of distraction, and you don’t realise how close you are to another canopy.

“Then, by the time you realise, you’re already too low to do anything.

“Two years ago, a similar accident occurred in Reggio Emilia, also involving two instructors.”

“This is a loss that deeply affects the community of Fano and the skydiving community.”