It was around 10 a.m. on Tuesday when Costansa Litellini raced into the Skydive Deland building in Florida. She had received a harrowing video from her husband , Capotorto Vitantonio. He was not going to open his parachute, instead, he hoped to go “someplace wonderful.”
An employee at the Skydive hangar, Tara Richards, immediately radioed the aircraft. It was too late. The 27-year-old had already jumped, with no intention of pulling the cord. The experienced sky diver had successfully completed 600 jumps prior to his final attempt. Richards had seen Vitantonio before his jump and reported that nothing had appeared to be out of the ordinary with the veteran jumper.
Skydiving has been discussed in suicide groups as an ideal opportunity to end their lives. This is due to the period of time that they have free falling in order to question their decision. Some jumpers who have survived the attempted fall off of the Golden Gate Bridge report the immediate regret they experienced with their decision. Choosing to step out of a plane gives one the chance to change their mind. This, unfortunately, does not appear to be the case with Vitantonio.
The Italian national and his wife were both employees at United Parachute Technologies , a company known globally for their quality harness/container systems. According to the skydiver’s Facebook page , he has worked for the business since 2016.
A search was made of the area and Capotorto Vitantonio was discovered face down in a field not far from the runway where the plane carried him into the sky. His body was located at 10:25 a.m. A chaplain was called to the scene and he shared the horrifying news with the distraught Litellini.
Skydive Deland is one of the most popular destinations for those who enjoy parachuting. It is close to the beach and features ideal weather for the sport. The highly active location, however, also sees a greater amount of casualties, which is common for such a busy drop zone. Since May of 2013, there have been five recorded fatalities at the Florida business .
Despite Litellini’s quick response to the agonizing video her husband shared with her, she was unable to save him from his devastating decision.
[Featured Image by Fly_Fast/iStock]