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SAN RAFAEL SWELL — A 68-year-old Idaho man was killed during a parachute accident in the San Rafael Swell Saturday, officials said Monday.
Rodney Pridmore was riding a powered parachute at the Sid and Charley pinnacles when his aircraft malfunctioned and he hit a shallow wash, according to an emailed statement from Emery County Sheriff Greg Funk.
A group of five men had flown from the Huntington Municipal Airport in Emery County and landed at the pinnacles. When the group was ready to leave, Pridmore was one of the first in the air. He radioed to his party that he was having problems with the parachute, and they advised him to land, Funk said.
The land was unsuccessful, and a member of the group who is an emergency room physician said that Pridmore died on impact, according to Funk.
An initial investigation suggests that there was a problem with the rope and pulley steering system of the parachute, Funk explained. The Federal Aviation Administration will continue the investigation.
