The 65-year-old pilot was killed when a small plane crashed over the North Sea near the island of Norderney.
The police in Aurich and the German Society for Rescue of Shipwrecked People (DGzRS) announced on Monday.
The Cessna type aircraft had therefore started on the East Frisian island of Borkum and dropped parachutists over Norderney.
They landed according to plan.
Then the machine was supposed to land on Norderney as well, but crashed into the Wadden Sea between the island and the mainland at around 1 p.m. for an as yet unexplained cause.
A witness observed the accident and informed the rescue control center.
A rescue helicopter and several rescue boats were involved in the rescue operation.
Two civilian ships nearby also took part in the rescue operation and tried to secure the Cessna with a rope.
Unfortunately, any help came too late for the pilot on the plane, it said.
The Aurich Police Inspectorate and the Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation began investigating the cause of the accident.
At the time of the crash, there were weak winds from the south and a water temperature of 20 degrees Celsius.