It was the first skydiving death at Mokule'ia since December 2002.

The sailor had packed his own chute before climbing into Skydive Hawaii's Cessna Caravan at around 9:15 a.m., said Frank Hinshaw, Skydive Hawaii's president.

Witnesses estimated that he deployed his main chute at an elevation somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 feet, Hinshaw said. But he suffered a "line-over malfunction," in which one of the parachute's lines became wrapped over the top of the chute, causing the sailor to spin around in the air, Hinshaw said.

Expert skydivers sometimes open their main chutes as low as 2,000 feet above the ground, Hinshaw said. A less experienced skydiver generally deploys at about 3,500 feet.

Hinshaw could not explain why the sailor, who had jumped with Skydive Hawaii before, chose to deploy so low to the ground.

"He didn't have enough jumps to be an expert, but he was certainly an experienced jumper," Hinshaw said.

The altitude left less time for the sailor to react to the fouled parachute line.

At an estimated height of about 400 to 500 feet, Hinshaw said, the sailor jettisoned the fouled main chute. He then apparently pulled the handle for his reserve chute at about 200 to 300 feet, Hinshaw said.

"It didn't have enough time to open," Hinshaw said. "The lines came out, but the parachute didn't come out of the parachute bag. He just didn't have enough altitude."

The skydiver was licensed by the United States Parachute Association and was qualified to pack his own parachute "and determine the best place to get out of the airplane without supervision," Hinshaw said.

Police, fire and paramedic crews responded to the scene, along with a Coast Guard helicopter that happened to be in the area, according to the Coast Guard. Skydive Hawaii officials also were speaking to Federal Aviation Administration officials yesterday.

Skydive Hawaii suspended operations immediately and canceled plans for about 35 other jumpers, Hinshaw said. He planned to review safety operations with his staff today before deciding whether to resume Skydive Hawaii's typical routine of about 10 flights per day.

"Everybody is saddened," Hinshaw said. "We regret the loss of one of our fellow skydivers. It's traumatic to everybody here. (He) was well liked and a respected member of the skydiving community."

Skydive Hawaii, Hawai'i's oldest skydiving business, experienced one other fatal accident, in 1991.

In 1997, a Skydive Hawaii single-engine Cessna carrying the pilot, two skydiving instructors and two Japanese tourists crashed into the ocean off Mokule'ia Beach Park. Everyone survived.

Phil Nerney, attorney for Skydive Hawaii, said that the company takes up an average of 30,000 skydivers per year.

In December 2002, Greg Hunter, a 44-year-old tandem master instructor with another skydiving company, Drop Zone, and 18-year-old Margaret Jean Thomas of Nebraska, died at Mokule'ia when their main parachute and reserve parachute failed to properly deploy.

Four years earlier, Patrick de Gayardon, a world-record holder, skydiving stunt performer and internationally recognized skydiving personality, died in a banana field near Dillingham Airfield when his main and backup chutes become tangled.

De Gayardon had packed his own chutes.