In Memory of Ethan Robbert – 1963 – 1993

Skydiving deaths "just a tragedy'

August 26, 1993

MENOMONEE FALLS (AP) - The deaths of a 29-year-old man who was making his first skydiving

jump and an instructor with 3,500 jumps appeared to be an unfortunate accident, Waukesha

County Sheriff Arnold Moncado said.

The sheriff's department said instructor Robert Blanchard, 33, and Ethan Robbert, 29, of

Milwaukee died instantly Tuesday evening when they landed on the Wanaki Golf Course.

"As far as what we see, it's just a tragedy, an unfortunate accident," Moncado said.

The men died when the parachutes they shared malfunctioned during a tandem jump,

authorities said.

Capt. Terry Martorano said there are certain emergency procedures to follow when a chute

does not open.

"Some of those procedures were taken and I think we will be able to trace that back to find out

why he did what he did," Martorano said.

"We do believe that a primary chute was deployed and after the subject went through the

emergency procedures there's a possibility that a second chute was deployed. However, it

became tangled in the first one and never did truly open up."

The Milwaukee Sentinel reported that Robbert's wife had paid for the jump as an anniversary

present.

The two men had taken off in a Cessna 182 from nearby Aero Park Airport and jumped from

10,500 feet about 6:30 p.m., officials said. They said several golfers and two other skydivers,

who jumped at the same time as the pair, witnessed the accident.

Phil Goetsch, an instructor and examiner for the United States Parachute Association, said the

main parachute became tangled, and when Blanchard deployed his reserve chute it became

tangled with the main parachute.

In a tandem jump, the student is strapped to an instructor who is wearing a parachute.

Blanchard was an instructor for the Wisconsin Sky Divers Parachute Club Inc., and Goetsch is on

the organization's board of directors.

https://journaltimes.com/news/national/skydiving-deaths-just-a-tragedy/article_893fcb74-d3d6-5911-afb6-f0cabf0ef83b.html