Skydiver dies after reports of fall during Easter Monday jump in Kent

A parachutist died after jumping from a plane on Easter Monday.

The death at Headcorn Airfield in Ashford, Kent, was confirmed by skydiving operators Go Skydive.

Eyewitness Lucy Barrett, 53, was preparing for a charity jump when the tragedy occurred at around 9.30am.

“There are five people in our group and we saw what looked like someone falling and the parachute did not open,” he said.

“We were the next jump and I was trying to get in the right headspace to jump. I didn’t believe it was happening. I was trying to keep myself calm.”

“There was a woman who was really upset about this and we were trying to calm her down.

“A search was done and they only found five of the six parachutes that were supposed to be there.

“After that we were told there was a death and the jump would not continue.

“We were not told who died, but from what I understand it was a man with about 10 years of experience in skydiving.

“When I talked to my 22-year-old son, he told me that he saw and heard everything and was impressed by it.

“The police came and took statements from witnesses, including my son.”

Lucy was jumping in to help the brain tumor charity on the 40th anniversary of her sister’s death from cancer.

A spokesman for Go Skydive said: “We are aware of an incident involving a lone club skydiver at a landing zone in Headcorn. Our thoughts are with those affected.

“We would like to express our sincere thanks to all emergency services and field teams for their quick and professional response, as well as the ground staff assisting at this time.

“The British Skydiving Board of Inquiry will investigate the accident and, once completed, will submit reports to the coroner, police, CAA, British Skydiving and other relevant authorities.

“The report will include the board’s conclusions and make recommendations where appropriate.

“It is not possible for us to provide further information at this stage.

“We will continue to fully cooperate with the appropriate authorities and will provide updates as appropriate.”

Flights were suspended throughout the day on Easter Monday as emergency services were called to the airport.

Forensic teams from Kent Police were at the scene until late in the evening.

The Cessna 208B Grand Caravan aircraft, known as Logan in the flying community, was seen leaving the airport at 8.36am on Flightradar.

It is known to have been used for skydiving and skydiving activities, and according to the flight tracking website, it landed again at 9.24am without any aircraft taking off or landing since then.

Pictures showed groups of people gathered on the airport’s apron and nearby areas, including the airport’s fire and rescue vehicle.

Police, ambulance and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have been contacted for comment.