Theo complained about old parachute
Wahyoe Boediwardhana/Jongker Rumteh, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar/Manado
Theo P. Mandagi, who was killed on Wednesday when his parachute failed to open, had complained about the condition of his parachute.
"This kind of parachute is no longer in production. A parachute should be replaced after eight years or 3,000 jumps," Theo said in an interview with The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
Theo said his parachute was made in the United States in 1985, and was too old to use any more.
Theo, 54, fell to his death during a victory jump after he and 102 skydivers from 16 countries had jumped successfully from 18,000 feet in a six-bladed red-and-white propeller formation in the sky above Ngurah Rai International Airport, Denpasar.
His body was found by villagers outside the perimeter of the airport, his parachute unopened, and was declared dead en route to a hospital.
Nisfu Chasbullah, chairman of the Indonesian Skydiving Association (Pordirga), said the association had yet to investigate Theo's death out of respect for his fellow skydivers in the record free-fall.
"Most of the jumpers are still in mourning over the incident and some of them accompanied his body to Manado," Nisfu said, referring to Theo's hometown, where he will be buried.
He said the association would not rush an investigation into finding out why Theo's parachutes did not open during the fatal jump.
"We have safety officers whose main task is to investigate the cause of the accident. We should take time to examine the case to avoid any errors," he said.
The officers are to examine the type of parachute that Theo used during the fatal victory jump.
Meanwhile, Nisfu said, the skydiving show would continue on Friday, as the international parachutists had traveled specifically for the event by invitation of the Indonesian Aerosport Federation (FASI).
Theo was the fourth Mandagi of the renowned skydiving family to be killed during the sport. His brothers Roby, Alfred and Chris were among 11 fatalities in a 1986 airplane crash during a training session in Tangerang, Banten.
Theo is survived by his wife Sri Tjiptowati Sugiandono, 52, and daughters Pingkan, 29, and Petra, 26, who are all skydivers.
In Manado, family, friends and fellow skydivers gathered to receive Theo's body.
"When our three brothers died, as the eldest brother, I advised Theo and his wife to stop jumping. But skydiving is our family's sport and death did not seemed to deter them. They simply went on jumping," said Johnny, one of the two Mandagi siblings -- out of six -- who did not take up the sport.
Theo's body arrived at Sam Ratulangi Airport, Manado, at 11:00 a.m. Jakarta time. The funeral is to take place on Friday.