HOMESTEAD, Fla. – The U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team had an accident a month ago and two of their members are still in the hospital. But the rest of the team is now training in Homestead, working with groups from other parts of the military and from overseas.
Every year, the Golden Nights parachute demonstration team comes to Homestead to train.
But the team suffered a major accident on Feb. 12 during a 4 a.m. practice.
Authorities said something went wrong as two jumpers were performing a stunt called canopy relative work.
The jumpers crashed to the ground and were rushed to a hospital. One is still in serious condition and the other remains in critical condition.
"When they came together, they became entangled. They were unable to become untangled, at which point they fell from about 2,000 feet," Lt. Col. Ned Marsh, of the U.S. Army Golden Knights, said.
But for the rest of the Golden Knights, training continues. And this week they worked with groups from other parts of the U.S. military and a team from the U.K.
"We work together closely on operations overseas and it's great to be able to work together not just on the battle field but also on the playing field, as well," Sgt. Dean Walton, of the UK Red Devils, said.
On Tuesday, the team took Local 10 News reporter Ian Margol up with them for one of their practice jumps, letting him ride along as they jumped, first from 5,000 feet and then from 13,500 feet, showing off some of the skills they use every single day.
"Right before I get out the door the last thing I think about is safety and what do I need to do to make this maneuver happen? And then I get out and I'm just super excited," Sgt. Mike Koch, of the U.S. Army Golden Knights, said.
The joint training will continue for another week. The teams will then head back to where they are based before the show season begins.