Skydiver texts wife to say he won't pull cord when jumping

A skydiver texted his wife just minutes before his jump to tell her he wouldn't be pulling the chord to open his parachute on the way down.

Capotorto Vitantonio then plummeted to his death at Sky Dive DeLand in Florida.

See also: Skydiver's parachute gets tangled mid-air

See also: Woman passes out during skydive

His wife, Costanza Zitellini, 27, rushed to the area but it was too late. According to the Metro, Vitantonio had already jumped by the time ground staff managed to radio the pilot.

Vitantonio had told her he was "not going to pull the cord and that he was going somewhere wonderful", according to a DeLand Police report.

An Italian who lived and worked in DeLand, Vitantonio's body was found face down near the town's municipal airport.

SkyDive DeLand expressed their "deepest sympathy for his family and friends".

It added that Vitantonio, who worked for United Parachute Technologies, was an experienced skydiver with the appropriate training to jump alone and had paid for his spot on the plane on Tuesday, according to The Washington Post.

According to the Metro, a general manager said: "We give our customers a safe ride to altitude and we transport them using aircraft that has been considered the best maintained in the industry.

"When a person steps out the door, they are responsible for themselves."