Skydiver Tony Rokov* killed in NSW jump 'was trying to protect teen'

The skydiving instructor who tragically died after making a last ditch effort to save his 14-year-old pupil previously worked as a parachute instructor in an elite special forces unit for the Australian Defence Force.

Tony Rokov, 44, and an unnamed 14-year-old boy fell around 20 metres before hitting the ground in Goulburn on Saturday afternoon after a sudden gust of wind caused their parachute to fail during a tandem jump.

Mr Rokov, who died instantly, was a member of the Australian Defence Force for more than two decades and had extensive experience parachuting in 'hostile environments under challenging operational conditions, according to his LinkedIn account.

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Skydiving instructor Tony Rokov died instantly on Saturday around 2pm in a freak accident when a wind gust slammed the man to the ground in Goulburn, in the south of NSW

The married father-of-two from Cronulla, in Sydney’s south, delivered training programs for hundreds of defence force members and was selected as 'one of the few' Australian recruits tasked with training units from the French Foreign Legion.

In 2013, he became an Air Operations Manager for the 2nd Commando Regiment, where he helped prepare 'dangerous' training activities designed to prepare his trainees for high-risk situations in the field.

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The experienced skydiving instructor, who had more than 5,000 jumps under his belt, has been hailed a hero after witnesses claimed they saw the 44-year-old position himself to give his 14-year-old passenger the best chance of survival, cushioning his landing despite it putting him in an almost certainly fatal position.

‘The way I saw the landing, Tony really twisted his body to protect the young passenger,’ witness and Adrenalin Skydive head instructor Yaakov Bokay told News.com.au.

Mr Rokov, from Cronulla in south Sydney, leaves behind a wife and two children under the age of 10

He was an experienced skydiving instructor with more than 5,000 jumps under his belt, and had been an instructor for eight years

The young boy was treated by paramedics at the crash site near Goulburn Airport before he was airlifted to the Royal Randwick Children's Hospital, in Sydney's east, in a critical condition and is believed to have undergone surgery.  

A hospital spokesperson said the young boy, who was not known to Mr Rokov, remains in a serious but stable condition.

Daily Mail understands that this was the boy's first skydiving experience.  

Mr Bokay said protecting the boy was an extremely 'brave thing to do' in his last moments, adding that it was a 'freak' accident that no-one could have predicted. 

He told Nine News that Mr Rokov, who leaves two children under the age of 10 behind, was always a 'very tough bloke'. He said considered him a good person and a friend.

Two family members hug at the site where 44-year-old Tony Rokov died and a 14-year-old boy was critically injured

Friends and family console each other at the site of the crash (pictured) in Goulburn, south NSW

The teenager was airlifted to Royal Randwick Hospital in Sydney's east where he remains in critical condition\

Emergency services, including a helicopter, were called to the site in Goulburn on Saturday at around 2pm following the crash.  

The pair were believed to have been part of a group of four participating in tandem skydives when the fatal accident occurred.

On Friday, only a day before Mr Rokov's death, all jumps in the area were cancelled for safety reasons, with the winds deemed to strong to continue. 

'Due to forecast gale force winds on the tablelands today, all jumping has been cancelled. See you tomorrow!' Adrenalin Skydive wrote on Facebook.  

Conditions were re-assessed on Saturday and given the all clear. Jumps continued on Sunday, despite the 'devastating' accident. 

Police will launch an investigation into the fatal jump.   

A diving instructor has died and a 14-year-old boy has been airlifted to hospital after a parachuting accident around 2pm on Saturday

The 44-year-old instructor who had more than 5,000 jumps died immediately after the pair fell 20 metres

Emergency services were called to the crash near Goulburn Airport in southern NSW just before 2pm

The pair involved in the accident were believed to have been part of a group of four participating in tandem skydives when the accident occurred

A freak gust of wind forced the parachute to close at about 20 metres above the ground, causing the pair to fall to the ground

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