2024 marked a milestone for U.S. skydiving safety, as civilian skydiving fatalities dropped to an annual record low of nine deaths.
According to the United States Parachute Association (USPA), this was the first single-digit year since the organization began keeping records in 1961.
In a press release, the USPA said the sport saw significantly higher fatalities in years past. There was an average of more than 20 fatalities per year during the 2000s and 2010s, more than 30 in the 1980s and 1990s, and an average of 42.4 fatalities annually in the 1970s. The organization emphasized that 2024’s achievement is particularly remarkable given the steady increase in the number of skydives performed each year.
To get a better grasp on the scope of skydive activity, USPA plans to survey its members to determine the total number of jumps made in 2024. USPA will use the data to help calculate the fatality index rate (fatalities per 100,000 skydives). The current record-low rate of 0.27 was set in 2023, when approximately 3.65 million jumps resulted in 10 fatalities.
USPA Executive Director Albert Berchtold said, “Years of rigorous safety standards, training initiatives, and programs have led to a steadily decreasing fatality rate.”
