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Officials identify 68-year-old skydiver who fell to her death in Chester Co.

CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. — Officials have identified a skydiver who fell to her death Thursday afternoon at SkyDive Carolina in Chester County.

[IMAGES: Skydive accident in Chester County skydiving center]

The incident happened around 3:30 p.m. at the Chester-Catawba Airport on King Air Drive.

The general manager at SkyDive Carolina said the 68-year-old woman, identified as Carolyn Clay, was a "highly-experienced" skydiver from Williamsburg, Virginia with more than 15,000 jumps to her name.

Channel 9 spoke with Clay's husband, Charles, who said his wife died doing what she loved.

(Carolyn Clay)

"She's just a good woman," Clay said. "If anybody is with Jesus, she is."

Officials said the skydiving accident happened during the annual CarolinaFest skydiving event. They said Clay safely deployed her main parachute but experienced a malfunction.

The death is under investigation but county coroner Terry Tinker said Clay died from trauma after a "hard landing."

Tinker said there was no equipment failure and attributed the death to "diver error."

"This is a case of diver error, or you could call it human error, in the part of the skydiver," Tinker said.

Charles Clay said his wife started the thrilling hobby nearly 50 years ago in the Navy and in her memory she would want one thing.

"She would probably want everybody to try it several times to see if they really liked it," Clay said.

Skydivers from all around the world were participating at the CarolinaFest.

In 2016, two jumpers collided in mid-air at SkyDive Carolina. One died and the other broke his leg.

[Florida man killed in skydiving accident in Chester County]

In 2014, at the same place, a man died after his primary parachute didn't open, and in 2012, a skydiver was killed in a hard landing.

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