A US Army parachutist and member of the famed Golden Knights demonstration team has died of injuries he sustained during a training jump in Florida.
Sgt. First Class Michael “Ty” Kettenhofen, 37, of Orange County, California, died Monday following surgery at Jackson South Medical Center in Kendall, the Miami Herald reported.
The paratrooper, who joined the elite Gold Knights in 2020 and had more than 1,000 jumps under his belt with the US Army, was injured Monday during training at Homestead Air Reserve Base in Homestead, the Army said.
A team spokesman told the Miami Herald that Kettenhofen experienced a “had 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 those who knew him for his sense of humor, joy of life and accomplishments as a senior non-commissioned officer and demonstration parachutist,” he said.
“Our hearts and faith are with his family and friends as we grieve 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 been awarded the Purple Heart, 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 on logistics.
In the past five years, several members have been seriously injured in parachuting 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 — which make free-fall jumps from 13,000 feet and higher — are perhaps most well-known for taking former President George H.W. Bush on several tandem dives starting when he was 75.
