Skydiver Douglas Ball dies at Princess Alexandra Hospital after horror landing

A widely-respected skydiver - who worked as an instructor on the Gold Coast and Whitsundays - battled for his life for a week after a horror landing in North Queensland. Read the tributes.

Skydiver Douglas Ball. Picture: Facebook

Skydiver Douglas Ball has tragically died one week after suffering a horror landing in North Queensland.

Mr Ball, 52, sustained critical injuries at the Laguna Quays dropzone south of Airlie Beach on April 16 just before midday.

He was skydiving with a group of people but skydiving solo.

Friends said Mr Ball - who has worked as an instructor on the Gold Coast and Whitsundays - was a “bloody awesome human being” who would be greatly missed.

“It was a gift to know you mate free Fallin Blue sky’s never ending,” one friend said.

“You mean so much to all of us Douglas Ball. You will be for never in our heart.

“Life already doesn’t feel the same without you.”

A RACQ CQ Rescue helicopter crew flew Mr Ball to Mackay Base Hospital for urgent treatment, touching down at MBH about 2.10pm, where he was met by doctors on the helipad.

Mr Ball was flown from the Intensive Care Unit at Mackay Base Hospital to Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital at 11.45pm on April 17.

Following a week-long battle, he passed away at the hospital.

Skydiver Douglas Ball. Picture: Contributed

The Australian Parachute Federation is investigating the cause of the horror accident.

APF CEO Richard McCooey said equipment failure was not at issue.

“This particular case, it appears the parachute opened normally at 3000 feet, the descent was all normal, there was nothing wrong at all,” he said.

“It appears in that final bit of the landing, that something has gone wrong.

“It is almost definitely not an equipment failure.

“The same with an aeroplane, if you land a plane downwind or crosswind, you can then get all tangled up with wind pushing as you are meant to be touching down so we are looking at the fact he may have either not being correctly into wind, or the steering of the parachute is with two toggles, two handles above your head, so there is a possibility his hand may have slipped out of that handle at the last minute.

Mr Ball, 52, was a highly experienced skydiver and APF member. Picture: Facebook

“Again not confirmed but those are all the things we start looking at.”

Mr McCooey confirmed that even experienced jumpers could experience hard landings.

“The most experienced Qantas captain will have a bad landing,” he said.

“With a plane, you have got engines to help you out.

“We can’t do that, we have got to get it right on the first go.”

Mr Ball, 52, was a highly experienced skydiver and APF member.

It is understood he worked as a tandem instructor with 1300 Skydive Australia, a company with branches across the country, including Airlie Beach Skydivers.

Originally published as Skydiver Douglas Ball dies at Princess Alexandra Hospital after horror landing