Skydiver Dies In "Swooping" Accident In Longmont

LONGMONT, Colo. (AP) - The Boulder County coroner's office is investigating the death of a skydiver who hit the ground while practicing swooping maneuvers in Longmont.

The coroner said Monday that 38-year-old Denver lawyer Emily Berkeley died after Saturday's accident at Vance Brand Municipal Airport.

In swooping, skydivers glide horizontally above the ground in low-altitude parachute maneuvers before hitting a designated spot.

Airport manager Tim Barth told the Longmont Times-Call that Berkeley was making her third and final practice jump when she apparently failed to complete a turn. He said she was about 200 feet above the ground at the time.

Berkeley is the sixth person to die while skydiving at the airport since 1995 and the second to die while swooping.

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