Virginia State Police say a fatal skydiving accident was caused by a parachute that accidentally opened inside the airplane.

State Police spokesman Sgt. Thomas Molnar said Tuesday that Army Command Sgt. Maj. Harry Parrish was sucked out the plane's door when his parachute opened.

The accident occurred Saturday evening as Parrish was preparing to make a jump with a trainee during a private training exercise near Middle Peninsula Airport near West Point. Molnar says six other people had jumped from the plane before the accident.

The 53-year-old Parrish was from Fort Meade, Maryland. His body was found Sunday morning in a wooded area near the airport.