Skydiver Dylan Roberts died jumping from Italian mountain

BBC News

3 days ago

A British parachutist died when his wingsuit failed to get enough speed falling from an Italian mountain, an inquest has heard.Dylan Roberts, 32 and from Cumbria, was killed 20 seconds into a flight from a well-known base jumping cliff in the Alps in June 2022, his inquest was told.Concluding his death was a "tragic accident", Cumbria Coroner Margaret Taylor said Mr Roberts was a highly experienced skydiving instructor who took safety extremely seriously.His family said Mr Roberts, who helped to co-ordinate parachute stunts on a Mission Impossible film, "died doing what he loved".
Mr Roberts, from Dent, had gone with a group up Monte Brento at about 06:30 local time on 3 June 2022 and was the second person to jump from a 3,280ft-high (1,000m) point known as Happy Birthday, the coroner heard.The man who jumped first said he saw Mr Roberts, who was wearing a purple and pink wingsuit, fail to achieve sufficient velocity as he fell and then heard the sound of a loud impact, the inquest was told.
A friend and a fellow parachute expert said he had reviewed footage filmed by Mr Roberts' camera and "for some reason difficult to ascertain" his velocity, which is required to make a wingsuit fly, was less than it should have been.He said the jump should have involved about a minute of wingsuit flying followed by up to a minute of using the parachute, but Mr Roberts crashed about 20 seconds in.The man said Mr Roberts had completed thousands of skydives and base jumps without incident and was a highly qualified and respected instructor who prioritised safety."If Dylan had seen anything that didn't look safe, he wouldn't have jumped," the man said.He said despite how it might be depicted, base jumping was a highly regulated and popular sport with an "extremely low" level of accidents and injuries.
'Left legacy of love'
Mr Roberts' family told the inquest he remained an "amazing" son and brother, who had an "extraordinary gift" of being able to bring "tremendous happiness and joy" to all who knew him.The inquest heard he was born in Manchester, was a talented cross country runner at school and had been fascinated with adventurous sports from a young age.He had worked as a skydiving professional and instructor for more than 10 years and helped to co-ordinate parachute stunts on a Mission Impossible film, the coroner heard.His family said Mr Roberts had told them his flying had helped him "understand the true meaning of life" and he "died doing what he loved", adding he "realised his potential" in his 32 years and "left a legacy of love".
Ms Taylor said it was clear Mr Roberts was "passionate about flying but also passionate about safety".The inquest heard his death was caused by catastrophic head and chest injuries.The coroner said his death was a "tragedy of monumental proportions" and he was obviously "incredibly talented, much loved and much respected".She said it seemed "unbelievable" he had died base jumping, given how experienced and safety conscious he was, adding: "There was nothing about the jump that suggests it was anything but safe to make."His death was recorded as accidental.
Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.