The alarm about the accident came at 2.51pm on Saturday.
An ambulance was quickly on the scene, but the police confirmed at 6 p.m. that the man died of his injuries.
– The man was badly injured initially and was taken to Västerås hospital where he died, says Mats Länn, commander at the police’s regional command centre.
According to the police, the man was supposed to do a special type of landing where you slide along the ground, but something went wrong and he went straight down the hill instead.
Anna Oscarson, communications manager at the Swedish Parachute Association, says the jumper made a turn at low altitude.
– The reason must have been a low turn, where he has gone into the ground at high speed so that it has been a very hard landing.
Investigation started
The Swedish Parachute Association has now begun an investigation into the accident, which is led by Sven Mörtberg, operations manager at the association. He was on site at the Johannisberg airfield on Saturday.
– The jumper was an experienced jumper, so at the moment we don’t know what has happened, he says.
Was the parachute itself in the deployed position?
– Yes, witness statements and the films we have watched so far show that.
More serious accidents
Several serious parachute accidents have occurred in Västerås in recent years.
In September 2022, a man in his 30s died after he crashed with his parachute in a residential area outside Västerås. In August of the same year, a 45-year-old man died in connection with a parachute jump at Johannisberg airport.
There was also another fatal parachute accident at the same airport in 2018.
– Unfortunately, there have been some fatal accidents in recent years. All of us who skydive are aware that it is a risky sport, and we do everything we can to minimize the risks. When something like this happens, you always feel it in your stomach. It’s hard, says Anna Oscarson of the Swedish Parachute Association.
Police do not suspect any crime in connection with the accident.