About 5,000 feet above Ellington, April Walker jumped from an airplane to log her 24th jump.
And it was surely one the 40 year old skydiver will never forget.
Walker’s parachute malfunctioned. Fortunately, she did have a reserve parachute, said Jim Oke, president of a skydiving club named Connecticut Parachutists Inc.
But it was still a rough landing Saturday morning. Walker hit a home before making it to the ground. She was conscious and alert, but she fractured her ankle and was taken to a hospital.
Chris Graves, a member of the Ellington skydiving club, said that the injury is neither common nor impossible while skydiving. “All of us have had some small stuff at times but it’s not common,” said Graves.
Walker is a student in the club’s program, said Oke. Her parachute malfunctioned and problems with cut-away procedures from the main parachute forced her to rely on a reserve parachute to land, he said.
On Walker’s way down, Oke said she had an uncontrolled landing and struck the side of a home in a neighborhood near the airport.
Graves said that he is confidant Walker will jump again. “She comes from a family that has quite a few jumpers in it and she has a positive attitude,” said Graves. “She’ll probably have some recovery time, then she’ll be out here enjoying the blue skies with the rest of us.”
