SLIDELL – A skydiving instructor, who died during a tandem jump, died before hitting the ground.

An autopsy performed by the St. Tammany Parish Coroner's Office showed that 58-year-old Bejamin Leroy Crowell died from heart disease and critical coronary artery disease before hitting the ground, WWL reports.

"Other forensic evidence confirms he was deceased before impact, although his body did sustain injury from striking the ground and his student, who landed atop him," Coroner Charles Preston released in a statement.

Crowell lost consciousness shortly after jumping from the plane on Sunday around 11 a.m. on the Royal Golf Course in Slidell. He was performing a tandem jump with a trainee, who was injured and airlifted from the scene.

Crowell's main parachute did not open, causing the backup parachute to deploy. However, it is unknown at this time if the second parachute opened properly.