They told him he was too old to start skydiving but that didn't stop Santiago Rosell from finding a way.
The 62-year-old wanted one more thrill to add to what had been an exhilarating life on the high skies as a former fighter jet pilot, aviator for the Boston Red Sox, world traveler, husband and father.
In two days, Rosell earned his skydiving certificate and recorded his adventures on a blog and Youtube until late Wednesday, when he was killed after his equipment failed during a jump with friends, police said.
"I must admit that skydiving is an unusual sport that demands both physical fitness and mental awareness," Rosell wrote on June 30, 2011. "This definitely is a sport for action junkies who are able to throw caution into the wind."
The Altamonte Springs man, known as "Sandy," was with friends Earle Spence, 58, and Richard Ford, 56, for a three-way jump at Skydive DeLand — a internationally known skydiving facility that has attracted thousands of thrill seekers in its 30 years of operation.
As they prepared to land, Spence and Ford deployed their parachutes at 4,000 feet above ground. But Rosell had trouble, according to a DeLand police report.
His primary chute cut away from him and landed in the wooded area adjacent to the runway. Rosell's backup parachute appeared to have opened successfully, Ford told police.
Neither friend actually saw the landing.
When Spence reached the ground, he found Rosell blush and not breathing. He started to apply compressions but his friend was pronounced dead at the scene.
"The preliminary indications are that the skydiver experienced an equipment failure," DeLand police said in a statement. "The exact cause is under investigation and the FAA has been notified."
Rosell was a retired naval pilot but still flew airplanes and helicopters commercially, according to Federal Aviation Administration records and his blog.
He started the online diary in 2008 to document his flying and skydiving adventures as the "chief pilot for John W. Henry & Company and the Boston Red Sox baseball team."
According to his biography, Rosell received a master's degree from the University of Central Florida, started his own corporate aviation business and flew around the globe.
Rosell picked up skydiving as a sport two years ago after a father-son outing.
His son, also named Santiago, accompanied his father on many jumps. FAA records show he is also a certified pilot.
"My son and I have shared many adventures," he wrote in July 2011. "Words alone cannot express my pride and exhilaration of being able to share so much with him. He has a great future as a pilot and I can only hope that this is just one of many more adventures."
Federal officials are investigating the incident.
http://santiagorosell.blogspot.com
Story, video and photo: http://www.orlandosentinel.com
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