A US Army paratrooper and member of the famed Golden Knights display team has died from injuries sustained during a practice jump in Florida.
sergeant. Michael “Ty” Kettenhofen, 37, of Orange County, Calif., died Monday following surgery at Jackson South Medical Center in Kendall, the Miami Herald reported.
The skydiver, who joined the elite Gold Knights in 2020 and had more than 1,000 jumps under his belt with the US military, was injured Monday while training at Homestead Air Reserve Base in Homestead, the army said.
A team spokesperson told the Miami Herald that Kettenhofen suffered a “forced landing” after a “routine jump”.
“The U.S. Army Parachute Team is deeply saddened by the loss of one of our own,” Lt. Col. Andy Moffit, Golden Knights Parachute Team Commander, said in a statement.
Kettenhofen “was loved, admired and respected by all who knew him for his sense of humor, his zest for life and his accomplishments as a senior noncommissioned officer and demonstration paratrooper,” he said.
“Our hearts and our faith are with his family and friends as we mourn and heal with them. Ty will be honored and remembered as a golden knight, soldier and friend,” Moffit added.
The accident remains under investigation.
The infantryman had received the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Army Commendation Medal.
The Golden Knights comprise several expert units, including parachute teams, pilots, and people who work behind the scenes in logistics.
Over the past five years, several members have been seriously injured in skydiving accidents over Homestead, including three who performed a night dive over the base in February 2019, the Herald reported.
Later that year, another soldier was injured when he landed too hard.
The Golden Knights – who do freefall jumps from 13,000 feet and above – are perhaps best known for taking former President George HW Bush on several tandem dives from the age of 75 .