Coach, 49, was wearing ‘advanced wingsuit’ when he was killed in skydive tragedy

An experienced ‘wingsuit coach’ has died in a skydiving accident at an airfield in Devon.

The 49-year-old was confirmed dead at the scene, at Dunkeswell Aerodrome in the Blackdown Hills southwest of Taunton.

Emergency services were called just before 1pm on Saturday.

A spokesperson for Skydive Southwest said: ‘We are deeply saddened to confirm that an experienced licensed skydiver and wingsuit coach with over 10,000 jumps logged, tragically lost their life whilst carrying out a Wingsuit Jump with a friend, using his personal parachute equipment and an advanced Wingsuit.

‘Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with their family, friends, and the wider skydiving community at this incredibly difficult time. As a small, family-run drop zone, this loss has affected us profoundly and personally.’

They added that they are helping British Skydiving and the police with their independent investigations into the cause of the accident.

‘The UK skydiving community is close-knit, and when we lose one of our own, it is felt across the entire community’, they said.

‘We would respectfully ask that people refrain from speculation. Public conjecture can quickly lead to misinformation being shared, which is deeply distressing for the family, friends, and those directly affected.

‘In a world where we can be anything, please choose to be kind. Our focus right now is on supporting the family, our staff, and our community as we process this loss.’

A spokesperson for Devon & Cornwall Police confirmed the man’s family has been informed.

They added: ‘Scene guards remain in place currently, and enquiries are ongoing into the incident by the relevant agencies.’

The incident comes just months after two people lost their lives while attempting a ‘tandem jump’ at Dunkeswell Aerodrome.

Skydiving instructor Adam Harrison and Belinda Taylor, who was strapped to him, died when their parachute did not open after they jumped from 15,000 feet.

Ms Taylor, a 48-year-old mother-of-four, was described as an ‘absolute nutcase who just loved adventures’ by her partner Scott Armstrong, who bought her the experience.

He told BBC News: ‘She was a lovely person, she was my best friend.’

Mr Harrison, 30, was a master of chiropractic student at Bournemouth’s Health Sciences University.

Inquests into their deaths were opened last June, with the hearing adjourned while further investigations were carried out by bodies including British Skydiving.

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