The search continues this morning for a skydiving instructor who went missing during a Thursday afternoon jump.

Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland says the flight originated from the Skydive New England facility in Lebanon. It was around 2 p.m. when 41-year-old Brett Bickford fell while involved in a tandem jump, meaning that he and another person both jumped together with the same parachute.Officials estimate that he was probably about a mile off the ground when he fell after he somehow became detached from the other person. At this point, Bickford is presumed dead.

The second jumper landed safely and, when he couldn't find his instructor, told authorities what had happened. State Troopers, Game Wardens, and Forestry personnel are conducting the search, concentrating on the area around where the jump originated from. Maine SAR and Maine Association of Search and Rescue have joined the effort today.

We'll update this story as more details become available. 

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