A 23-year-old man was killed in a skydiving accident in Nylstroom on Sunday morning, the Parachute Association of South Africa (Pasa) said.

The accident happened around 8am at the Nylstroom airfield during a formation skydive, said Pasa national safety and training officer Mark Bellingan.

It appeared that Joubert Swart from Centurion, Pretoria failed to open his parachute. It was not yet clear why. He was a licensed Pasa member with 98 jumps under his belt.

"Witness reports and the initial investigation would indicate that no attempt was made to deploy either the main or the reserve parachutes, resulting in a high speed impact with the ground," said Bellingan.

He said it appeared as though nothing was wrong with Swart's equipment.

The Civil Aviation Authority and police had been notified.

Sapa