Tragic demise of Colorado skydiver in an unexpected incident

By Brian Michel on January 31, 2024

A tragic skydiving accident occurred in Colorado on Saturday, resulting in the death of a man who was wearing a wingsuit. Both his primary and reserve parachutes failed to deploy, leading to the unfortunate outcome.

According to the Boulder County Coroner’s Office, Gregory Coates, a 36-year-old resident of a mountain community near the Denver Metro area, was skydiving near Vance Brand Airport in Longmont at approximately 3:30 p.m. The incident took place in the vicinity of Nelson Road and Grandview Meadows Drive in Longmont, about 40 miles north of Denver.

Coates was participating in the skydiving activity with the Mile-Hi Skydiving Center, which is located at the airport, as confirmed by the Longmont Police Department. A wingsuit was worn by Coates, a specialized jumpsuit with webbed sleeves and membranes between the arms, body, and legs that enables a diver to glide through the air.

As per multiple sources, there was a failure in both Coates’ primary and reserve parachutes. It remains unclear what his level of skydiving expertise was or the specific aircraft he exited from.