Skydiving Association: 1st-Time Jumpers Must Be 18

The U.S. Parachute Association will increase the minimum age for first-time skydivers nationwide to 18 years starting May 1, replacing a provision that allowed younger teens to jump with parental consent.

USPA spokeswoman Nancy Koreen says the change isn't related to the recent incident in Oklahoma in which a 16-year-old girl plummeted 3,000 feet to the ground after her parachute malfunctioned. The teenager, Makenzie Wethington, survived and is recovering from her injuries.

1/29/2014 Related Story: Texas Teen Survives 3,500 Foot Skydiving Accident Fall In Chickasha

In an email to The Associated Press, Koreen says raising the age limit has been an issue that the USPA and the skydiving industry "have been struggling with the past couple of years."

Koreen says skydiving equipment manufacturershave already instituted 18 as the minimum age for use of their gear "in reaction to an increasingly litigious society."