A “highly experienced” skydiver with 10,000-plus jumps under his belt died during a wingsuit jump at a UK airfield.
Emergency crews rushed to Dunkeswell Aerodrome on Saturday afternoon after receiving a call about a skydiver seriously injured while doing a wingsuit jump with a friend, the BBC reported.
The victim, a 49-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene, Devon and Cornwall Police said.
Police said the skydiver’s name has not been released, but “his family has been informed.”
Skydive South West, which operates the facility, announced that they were “deeply saddened” to confirm the death of the “experienced” and “licensed” skydiver, who had recorded “over 10,000 jumps” prior to his death.
The club said he was “using his personal parachute equipment and an advanced wingsuit” at the time of the tragedy.
“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,” Skydive South West said.
“The UK skydiving community is close-knit, and when we lose one of our own, it is felt across the entire community.”
The club said it followed mandatory procedures by informing police and British Skydiving so authorities could carry out an independent investigation into what caused the accident.
British Skydiving confirmed the death of the “highly experienced skydiver at Dunkeswell Airfield” in a statement posted on X.
“A British Skydiving Board of Inquiry will now be convened to investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident,” the organization said.
“Our thoughts are with the family, friends and all those affected at this difficult time.”
Dunkeswell Aerodrome was established as a US Navy base during World War II and later functioned as a Royal Air Force base before being converted for civilian use, according to the BBC.
The incident comes weeks after a French world champion wingsuit skydiver was killed when his parachute failed to open during a free-fall jump over Europe’s highest peak.
Pierre Wolnik, a two-time freefly world champion, died on Feb. 7 after leaping from a helicopter above the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps and free-falling for several seconds when his parachute failed to deploy.
The 37-year-old struck rocky terrain, and it took first responders hours to discover his body in Les Bossons. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Wolnik, a world champion in 2022 and 2024, was a leading figure in the extreme sport and was set to represent France at the 2026 World Air Sports Federation Championships this summer.
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