(The following is courtesy of the U.S.P.A., copyright 1992.)
Killed on December 13 in Panama was Tom Piras, former world 4-way champion
and co-organizer of several world freefall formation records. While conducting a 4-way training skydive as part of his "Skydive University" program, Piras' feet caught the leading edge of the accidentally deployed canopy of a jumper who had gone low on the formation.
Piras flipped and was stunned when his head struck the other jumper's knee.
He spun away out of control on his back. Several of the jumpers in the group attempted to rescue Piras, including the U.S. serviceman stationed in Panama
who was flying camera.
Piras apparently began to regain consciousness below 1000 feet, rolled over face to earth and pulled his reserve ripcord before striking the ground.According to the report, Piras was wearing a Cypres automatic activation device, but he had not turned it on prior to the skydive. Neither was he wearing a helmet.
Piras had logged over 13,000 jumps since 1974, accumulating more than 168 hours of freefall time. He won his first 4-way national championships with Desert Heat in 1980, and another with Air Bears in 1985, which went on to win the world championships for the U.S. that year.
Pioneering many flying and training techniques, Piras marked the trail for professional freefall formation coaches in both competition and recreation skydiving. He trained the French 4-way team Tag for it's first world championships in 1987 and continued to jump and coach national champions here and abroad until his death at 40.
At presstime, Piras' family planned to bury some of his ashes, and some were to scattered over the field at Skydive Deland, Florida, his home D.Z.
