British base jumper who worked on Mission Impossible died as wingsuit failed

Daily Mirror

11 hours ago

Daredevil Dylan Roberts, 32, was killed 20 seconds into a flight from a base jumping cliff in Italy in June 2022. Concluding his death was a "tragic accident", coroner Margaret Taylor said Mr Roberts was a skydiving instructor who took safety extremely seriously
A British parachutist who worked on a ' Mission Impossible ' film died when his wingsuit failed on a base jump in the Alps, an inquest has heard.
Daredevil Dylan Roberts, 32, was killed 20 seconds into a flight from a well-known base jumping cliff in Italy in June 2022, his inquest was told. Concluding his death was a "tragic accident", Cumbria Coroner Margaret Taylor said Mr Roberts was a skydiving instructor who took safety extremely seriously.
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His family said Mr Roberts, who coordinated parachute stunts on a Mission Impossible film, "died doing what he loved". Mr Roberts, of Cumbria, had gone with a group up Monte Brento at 06.30 am on June 3, 2022 and was the second person to jump from a 3,280 ft-high (1,000m) point known as Happy Birthday, the coroner heard.
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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.
Base jumping is a highly regulated and popular sport with an "extremely low" level of accidents and injuries, the inquest was told.
Mr Roberts had completed thousands of skydives and base jumps without incident and was a highly qualified and respected instructor who prioritised safety.
Mr Roberts' family told the inquest he remained an "amazing" son and brother, who had an "extraordinary gift" of bringing "tremendous happiness and joy" to all who knew him.
He was Manchester-born, 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 coordinate 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 "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". It seemed "unbelievable" he had died basejumping, 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.
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Dylan's heartbroken brother shared an emotional tribute on Facebook at the time of the tragedy. He wrote: 'Heartbroken to announce that our beloved brother Dylan Roberts has passed away yesterday.
'He died doing what he loved, flying his wingsuit in the mountains in Italy. The only thing he loved more was his family and friends who he shared his life and adventures with.
'In the last few weeks we spent time together and he was the happiest he's been in years, and excited to be living a full life again.
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'He cared for his people so much and always had so much love to give. Words can't express how lost we are without you Dylan, I love you so much. Rest easy in the skies our kid.'
Dylan had previously lost a close friend to a skydiving accident and reportedly suffered serious neck injury during a jump himself.
His friend Aiden Chaffe died in late 2018, and in a heartfelt tribute, Dylan wrote: "We blew a daft kiss to each other before you jumped from the plane that final time and with that big daft smile of yours on your face!
"My last memory of you is of happiness and joy that we felt from the sport we shared but we also shared so much more.
"You made me smile in the darkest of times and were there for me always. You were a 'fiercely loyal' friend and it is rare to ever meet anyone like you.
"Life will never be the same... until I see you on the other side. I love you x".