Oklahoma Mom Died In First Solo Skydive - After Posting About Taking 'The Plunge' On Facebook

Such a tragic accident…

According to the Sallisaw Police Department, an Oklahoma resident named Heather Glasgow died on Saturday following her first solo skydive. Officials said the 44-year-old’s parachute malfunctioned during the dive, causing it so spin, which later caused the woman to crash into the ground.

The mother of two wasn’t instantly killed upon impact, according to the post. She was rushed to Northeastern Health Systems Sequoyah by emergency first responders and was pronounced dead later in the day. She put up a brave fight but succumbed to her injuries. So, so sad…

The SPD’s Facebook page shared that officers are working closely with Federal Aviation Administration and the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office to figure out what caused the parachute to malfunction, which they’re saying is currently an “unknown issue.” The post reads:

“Skydiving Incident
On 02/18/2023 at approx. 1530 hours, Emergency services were dispatched to the City of Sallisaw Airport after it was reported a skydiver had sustained injuries while participating in a solo skydive.
The individual, Heather Glasgow 44 years old of Poteau, OK, had struck the ground after an unknown issue arose during the skydive. Witnesses stated her parachute had fully deployed, but she was in a spin that she did not recover out of. Emergency services tended to her very quickly after the incident and she was transported to Northeastern Health Systems Sequoyah for further treatment. Glasgow was pronounced dead at approx. 2005 hours. Sallisaw Police Department is working closely with Federal Aviation Administration and the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office to determine a cause for the incident.”

You can see the statement in full for yourself (below):

You can also hear more about the accident here (below):

Something like this happening is extremely rare and our hearts break for this family. Roughly one in 400,000 people are killed during skydiving — and comparing that to the one in 8,500 people that are killed in car crashes really puts a new perspective on how this should’ve never happened.

A few weeks before the tragedy, Heather excitedly shared the news on her page she’d be attending her first ever skydiving session earlier this month:

“It should be a nice weekend. If you haven’t taken the plunge and want to then this is the place to do it! I plan to be there this weekend for my first instructor aided jump.”

In the comments of the post, however, she said she had to postpone because “that afternoon could have ended badly”:

“glad I postponed. Might have to retake the class again but I wound up taking a turn Sunday night. Trying to push myself and jump that afternoon could have ended badly so I’m really glad that I listened to my body.”

Chilling…

Her profile picture on Facebook left another heartbreaking statement behind, reading:

“I am Heather.

I have been through a lot, and I know it’s hard, but I just keep going. I had many ups and downs, but I’m still here. And I want to say thank you to everyone and everything that are still in my life.”

A close friend of Heather posted the comments of her most recent profile update in part: