Skydiver in his 50s dies after jumping out of plane after ‘parachute failed to open’ as police probe ‘unexplained’ death
A paratrooper in his 50s died after jumping from a plane at the airport as police investigated his ‘unexplained’ death.
Emergency services rushed to the scene at Headcorn Airport, near Maidstone in Kent, at around 10am yesterday morning.
Officers were seen searching fields at the airport and Kent Police confirmed the death of a solo parachute jumper.
Lucy Barrett, 53, was waiting to parachute into a brain tumor charity to mark the 40th anniversary of her sister’s death from cancer when she saw something fall to the ground.
The mother-of-three said she and others watching were ‘traumatised’ after realizing it was the man’s body.
he said: ‘There are five people in our group and we saw what looked like a person falling, the parachute did not open.
‘We were the next jump and I was trying to get in the right headspace to jump. I didn’t believe this 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.
Emergency services rushed to the scene on Easter Monday after reports that a parachutist in his 50s had died after his ‘parachute failed to open’ during the jump.
The airport’s fire and rescue vehicle was dispatched to the scene
‘A search was carried out and they found only five of the six parachutes that were supposed to be there.
‘After this 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 he saw and heard everything. He was also affected by this.
‘The police arrived and took statements from witnesses, one of whom was my son.’
‘This happened just before I took off to skydive.
‘My son was watching from the audience section and saw that the person hit the ground and the parachute opened due to the impact.
‘Another person in my group was hysterical when he saw what happened.’
He said that after counting the parachutes at the landing base, one was missing, and after the research plane was sent, it was confirmed that one of the jumpers was missing.
Airport staff later said they found Ms Barrett’s body as she waited with professional parachutists to see if she could go up for her jump.
A Kent Police spokesman said: ‘Police attended the scene where it was confirmed that a man in his 50s had died. His relatives were informed.
‘The death is currently treated as an unexplained incident and an investigation into the situation is ongoing in liaison with British Skydiving.
‘A report has been completed for the coroner.’
Flights were grounded throughout the day on Easter Monday, while coroners combed the scene and emergency services investigated the death.
The company responsible for the Go Skydive jump has confirmed that the incident will be investigated by the British Skydiving Board of Inquiry.
A Go Skydive spokesman 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 who are assisting at this time.
‘A 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 contain the board’s conclusions and, if appropriate, make recommendations.
‘It is not possible for us to provide further information at this stage.
‘We will continue to co-operate fully with the appropriate authorities and will provide updates as appropriate.’
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.
People were seen gathering at the airport and nearby areas, including the airport’s fire and rescue vehicle.
Police, ambulance and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have been contacted for comment.
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