Chilling video footage captured the moment a skydiving instructor ran off a cliff’s edge and plunged to his death.
Jose de Alencar Lima Junior died while attempting a speed fly — an air sport similar to paragliding — at Pedra Bonita in Sao Conrado, Brazil, on Sunday morning, according to the news agency newsX.
Footage shows the 49-year-old Army veteran running over the cliff’s edge — with his parachute just barely opening.
A crowd of onlookers can be heard gasping in horror as Lima disappeared over the edge, falling into a dense forested area below.
Lima, who served as a paratrooper in the Brazilian Army’s Parachute Infantry Brigade, fell from about 820 feet and landed on some rocks below, according to authorities.
Rescuers scoured the area for four hours before locating Lima’s lifeless body in a difficult-to-reach area.
Witnesses told authorities that Lima appeared to trip on a hole before his fatal plunge.
The cause of the fall is currently being investigated by police, who believe his equipment may have been faulty.
The experienced skydiving instructor lives in Germany but was visiting family in Brazil at the time, according to his sister-in-law, who asked not to be named.
“We have no idea what could have happened. But he was a professional skydiver for 20 years. He was experienced,” she said, noting she had no idea whether he had jumped from Pedra Bonita before.
“What happened was an accident,” she said.
Paragliding flights and similar activities at Pedra Bonita are done off an official ramp and access to the site is controlled by the Clube Sao Conrado de Voo Livre (CSCLV), which has accredited instructors to guide the tour in the air.
According to the CSCLV, Lima accessed Pedra Bonita from a trail — not the ramp — and jumped from an inappropriate location.
“The pilot did not use the ramp to take off. The spot he chose for takeoff is bad and even prohibited,” the CSCLV said.
They added: “The CSCLV is not responsible for the incident. With that clarification, may the pilot rest in peace.”
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
