Skydiving instructor, 41, commits suicide by detaching himself from student mid-air during mile-high jump
A skydiving instructor is believed to have committed suicide when he mysteriously became separated from his student during a tandem jump in September. 41-year-old Brett Bickford of Rochester, New Hampshire, allegedly deliberately loosened his harness mid-air while sharing a parachute with a student, Maine State Police said. While search crews were able to locate Bickford's body after the incident in Lebanon, Maine, the student survived the horrifying ordeal, Daily Mail reports.
In a statement to NBC, police said: "State Police interviews with other skydivers and industry officials concluded that no experienced skydiver would loosen a parachute harness by mistake. Investigators concluded that Bickford loosened his harness in midair and it was an intentional act."