Katie BoydenPublished April 28, 2024, 3:04 p.m.|Update April 28, 2024, 4:35 p.m.
An investigation has been launched after a man in his 40s died in a parachute accident in County Durham.
The victim, who has not yet been named, was pronounced dead at the scene on Saturday afternoon in the southwest industrial area of Shotton.
A Durham Police spokesperson said last night that a cordon was expected to remain in the area for “some time” and they were currently treating the death as “unexpected”.
The British Skydiving Board (BSB) today confirmed it would investigate the death.
A spokesperson for Sky-High Skydiving, based at Shotton Airfield, said today: “A British Skydiving commission of inquiry will investigate the incident and, once completed, will submit reports to the coroner, police , the Civil Aviation Authority, British Skydiving and any other relevant authority.
“The report will include the findings of the board and make recommendations, where appropriate.”
Police have appealed for witnesses traveling on the A19 who may have mobile phone or dashcam footage of the incident.
Detective Chief Inspector Mel Sutherland added: “They may have mobile phone footage or dashcam footage which captures the moments leading up to the incident.
“Our thoughts remain with the man’s family at this time.”
This is the second fatal skydiving incident at the airfield in eight years.
In 2016, Pamela Gower died on a housing estate near Shotton Airfield when her main parachute failed to open and she landed on a parked car.
A family member said she “lived life to the fullest” and died “doing what she loved.”
And in 2022, a member of the Red Devils diving team died while attempting an unplanned stunt at 3,000 feet in Seville, Spain.
Dean Walton, a sergeant major in the British Army, fell to the ground after becoming entangled in the canopy of his diving partner’s parachute.
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