Dorothy Hoffner, aged 104, completed a tandem skydive in Illinois. She aimed to become the oldest person to achieve this remarkable feat. Hoffner had previously skydived on her 100th birthday. Image Credits: Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune via APDorothy Hoffner, a native of Chicago, was born in 1918 and gained fame across the world owing to her attempts to break the world record for a tandem skydive when she was 104 years of age.According to the Associated Press, Hoffner completed her tandem skydive at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Illinois. Before boarding the aircraft, she set her walker on the grass and climbed into the plane with assistance. The aircraft climbed to about 13,500 feet (around 4,100 metres) before Hoffner and her tandem instructor exited for the jump. With a certified instructor from the United States Parachute Association, she completed the descent safely and landed to applause from the crowd below.The jump was intended as an attempt to become the oldest person to complete a tandem skydive. At the time, Hoffner was 104 years and nine months old, older than the previous Guinness World Records holder, Linnéa Ingegärd Löfgren of Sweden, who completed a tandem skydive at 103 in 2022. Although Hoffner's jump exceeded that age, Guinness World Records still needed to verify the documentation before confirming the record.After the landing, she welcomed the audience in a cool manner. According to another Associated Press article, she asked for the return of her walker, saying it was "wonderful". When asked if the jump was frightening, she answered, saying that it was fun, adding that it was better to risk rather than fear ageing.Second jump in more than a centuryThe jump that Hoffner took is not the first one in her life, since on her 100th birthday four years ago, she took her first jump. In reference to this jump, she confessed that she needed someone to persuade her to step out of the aeroplane. But this time, she felt that she could lean out of the plane even before making the dive.Her decision to return for another jump fit the adventurous, curious personality friends described. Friends said Hoffner enjoyed staying active and taking part in events at the senior living community where she lived. Rather than treating the jump as the culmination of a lifetime of adventures, she was already thinking about her next outing. Hoffner was an active woman, according to Joe Conant, a nurse and good friend who referred to her as "Grandma."A feat which received worldwide recognitionEven though Hoffner gained wide recognition due to the jump, it is clear that Hoffner remained a very humble woman. According to Associated Press reports, Hoffner continued her routine, including speaking to friends and neighbours, after the jump. Asked how she managed to survive for so long, she playfully responded that she just ate whatever was available.Sadly, she passed away before her record could be officially verified. Her adventurous spirit and attempt remain an unforgettable story. Image Credits: Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune via APIncomplete world record attemptOnly eight days after successfully performing the skydive, Hoffner died quietly while sleeping in her senior home in Chicago. She died before Guinness World Records managed to validate her record attempt.After her death, Skydive Chicago said it would continue working with Guinness World Records on the required documentation. At the time, the organisation had not yet officially recognised Hoffner as the oldest person to complete a tandem skydive, and the certification process remained incomplete. Photos of Hoffner smiling after the landing and speaking to reporters helped introduce her story to a wider audience.The story of Dorothy Hoffner is memorable because of her achievement and the message it sends about trying something new. According to the Associated Press, Hoffner's second tandem skydive was an extraordinary achievement, which she received with pleasure, and not with fear. But it cannot be recognised officially because she died, but it will remain unforgettable because of its uniqueness, and it was made when she was 104 years old.