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Sévigny explained that if something goes wrong, the initial parachute is let loose and the backup chute is deployed.

“I’ve been in the sport for 15 years, I’ve had 3,000 jumps, and I’ve only used my reserve parachute four times, so sometimes it happens … from day one we’re trained how to deal with the malfunctions and how to deploy our reserve parachute,” Sévigny said in an interview.

After Sévigny jumped from the plane, deployed his parachute and checked on his tandem jumper — a man celebrating his 80th birthday — he looked down and saw that the backup chute on the team below them had been deployed.

“I noticed a white canopy — a white canopy for us is somebody under reserve parachute,” he said.

He said he didn’t know what had gone wrong in the jump, though he saw the instructor and her passenger turning in the air before they got to the ground.

He said it didn’t look out of control.

He added that while he was still in the air, he could see his staff responding to call emergency services.

The instructor has been in the sport for a couple of years, Sévigny said, and joined the Go Skydive team this season.

“She’s awesome,” he said.

Sevigny identified the instructor as Carolyne Breton in a radio interview.

avoski@ottawacitizen.com