The Federal Aviation Administration has determined that yesterday's skydiving death at Dillingham Airfield was caused by an improperly packed parachute.

An off-duty Navy SEAL died when his parachute failed to open during his third jump of the day, according to Ian Gregor, communications manager for the FAA's Western-Pacific Region. Skydive Hawaii identified the man as Kenneth Richard Owens, 27, of 'Aiea.

An FAA investigator who examined Owens' gear and reviewed a video of the fatal skydive determined the bridle cord connecting the smaller pilot chute to the main parachute was "misrouted" during repacking, Gregor said. As a result, it was unable to pull the main parachute from its container.

"We will continue to investigate to determine whether the skydiver packed his own chute or had someone else do it," Gregor said.

The FAA investigator who is looking into the accident is a veteran skydiver and certified senior rigger who has completed more than 2,800 jumps, he said.

Honolulu police have the parachute and are conducting their own investigation.

The accident was reported just before 12:30 p.m. after Owens landed in a pond mauka of Dillingham Ranch off Farrington Highway, said Honolulu Fire Capt. Earle Kealoha Jr.

Witnesses estimated the man was face-down in the pond for about five minutes before he was pulled out by Skydive Hawaii employees, Kealoha said. Fire department personnel attempted to resuscitate Owens and he was taken to Wahiawa General Hospital. An autopsy is expected today.

Gregor said Owens had made 87 recreational jumps prior to yesterday's fatal skydive, and it is possible he may have additional parachuting experience with the military.

The Navy man owned his parachute, a used one he purchased from the Mainland, said Frank Hinshaw, president of Skydive Hawaii, which had arranged for the skydiving flight. He said Owens was not an FAA-certified parachute rigger.

Under FAA rules, Owens was allowed to pack his main chute but would have needed a certified rigger to pack his reserve parachute within 60 to 120 days of use, depending on the parachute material.

Even though Owens was an experienced skydiver with his own gear, "we still try to watch those people," Hinshaw said.

On his last jump, the Navy man exited Skydive Hawaii's Cessna Caravan at 13,000 feet with three other parachutists, according to Hinshaw. Owens' parachute should have deployed at 2,000 to 3,000 feet from the ground, but video of the jump shows only the pilot chute deploying and not the main parachute.

Gregor said it's unclear whether Owens tried to use his reserve parachute, which also did not deploy.

Hinshaw said the malfunction of the main parachute system should not have prevented the skydiver from using the reserve chute, which is deployed using a separate rip cord. The other skydivers on the same jump with Owens reported that he appeared to be conscious and did not suffer any apparent medical distress during the descent, he said.

Leading up to the accident, it was "just a normal day" with mostly clear conditions and trade winds of 10 to 15 mph, he said. Following the fatality, the business ceased operations for the day.

"We regret the loss of a Navy SEAL with such great promise and appreciate his service, and we mourn with his family and friends," Hinshaw said.

In January 2006, a Skydive Hawaii instructor and a tourist from Japan on a tandem jump drowned when they overshot a landing zone at the airfield and ended up in the ocean.

In February 2005, an experienced skydiver, also a Navy man, was killed after his parachute rigging became tangled during descent.