A routine day at a popular Marana drop zone turned deadly Monday when Eduardo Hernandez, a 40-year-old employee of Skydive Marana, was killed after being struck by an airplane propeller northwest of Tucson. Marana police and Northwest Fire District crews rushed to the scene and provided emergency medical care, but Hernandez was pronounced dead at the site. Federal preliminary records place the accident in the early afternoon, close to 1:30 p.m.
What officials say
Marana police told KTAR News that the employee had exited the aircraft and then walked into an active propeller. Preliminary data from the Federal Aviation Administration, cited in the same report, identifies the airplane involved as a Cessna 208 and puts the time of the incident at about 1:30 p.m.
Investigators said there were no early indications of foul play, and the scene remained under review as authorities worked to map out the crew’s movements on the ground and in the air.
At the drop zone
Skydive Marana operates from hangars at Marana Regional Airport and promotes tandem jumps and instructional skydiving, with its website stressing a long-standing focus on safety. As of Monday afternoon, the operator had not posted a public statement about the accident, and calls to the drop zone were not immediately returned. The facility has been a familiar presence for skydivers in the Avra Valley community.
Safety questions and national context
Authorities have not released a probable cause in Monday’s death and said their work will center on how the ground movements unfolded in the moments before Hernandez was struck.
The Associated Press notes that investigations into skydiving accidents around the country frequently uncover maintenance and oversight problems. The NTSB has previously called for stronger Federal Aviation Administration oversight of parachute jump operations after earlier deadly crashes.
Local and federal officials said they will release more information as their investigations move forward.
