( CNN ) -- Two by two , the tandem skydivers leapt into the clouds over southern Mississippi , a routine plunge from thousands of feet in the air . James `` Jimmie '' Horak Jr. and his student were the last out of the plane Saturday morning . A videographer captured the moment when the veteran instructor opened his parachute , shifting a rapid freefall into a slow descent . But something tragic happened in the final seconds of the drop . Horak , 56 , and his student never landed at the airport where they were supposed to . Instead , Horak 's body was found in heavy mud in a swampy wooded area about a mile from the airport in Lumberton , Lamar County Sheriff Danny Rigel said . His student , a 26-year-old man whose name was not released , was in critical condition with broken bones and head injuries . It 's unclear what went wrong . But based on evidence on the ground , Horak cut away the main parachute and deployed his backup , Gold Coast Skydivers owner Leanne Igo said . `` We just know that the main was cut away and the reserve was deployed , '' Igo said . `` Everything else beyond that is speculation . '' Rigel said the others on the ride noticed there was some kind of equipment trouble , perhaps a problem with the lines . When the other students landed at the airport in Lumberton and noticed the pair were n't with them , they started a search that quickly included 30 skydivers on foot , a skydiving plane , a helicopter and local authorities , Igo said . The son of a nearby landowner eventually found Horak and the student while riding his Four Wheeler in the woods , she said . Horak and the student were so far inside the woods that `` there was no way anybody could spot them from overhead . '' Deputies had to carry them out for a `` considerable distance '' to get them out of the woods , and the student was then airlifted to Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg , Rigel said . The Federal Aviation Administration will inspect the parachutes to determine if they were properly rigged by a qualified parachute rigger , and if the parachute operation was in compliance with federal regulations , FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said Sunday . Local authorities will investigate the event and determine probable cause , she said . Horak 's cause of death wo n't be known until after an autopsy , likely to take place Monday , Rigel said . A skydiving fan since the 1970s , Horak served with the Army Special Forces and was a pilot who also worked for the Veterans Administration as a physician 's assistant , Igo said . `` Very professional , soft-spoken , kind-hearted , hard worker , a genuine person and highly experienced , '' she said of Horak . `` He had a wonderful wife and three children and everybody who ever met Jim never had anything ugly to say about him . He loved what he did . '' Horak was also meticulous about safety , his friend and fellow skydiver Timber McKinney said . `` I 've never met a more outstanding instructor in all my years of skydiving , 27 years now , '' McKinney told CNN affiliate WEAR . `` He really emphasized the safety side of it . He was about the fun side of it too , but he would definitely make sure that everyone that he touched understood the rules and that they follow them . '' Horak was a safety and training advisor appointed by the U.S. Parachute Association , Igo said . Along with being a tandem instructor , he was a tandem examiner who trained other tandem instructors , she said . Woman on first date plunges to her death off 17th-floor balcony . January : Two riding inside inflatable ball go over cliff .
The body of James `` Jimmie '' Horak Jr. was found in heavy mud in a swampy , wooded area . His student was found in critical condition and was airlifted to a hospital . Company owner : Horak apparently cut away his main parachute and deployed a backup . Sheriff : Other jumpers noticed some kind of equipment trouble .