Female RAF parachute instructor is killed in training accident ‘when her chute failed to open’
Female RAF parachute instructor is killed in training accident ‘when her chute failed to open’ in dive at Oxfordshire air base
The woman fell to her death at RAF Weston-on-the-Green air base on ThursdayThe instructor leaped from an aircraft but the canopy did not activate The air force said the tragic incident is being investigated
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An RAF servicewoman has died in a training accident at an Oxfordshire air base after her parachute failed to open.
The woman, whose identity has not been released, fell to her death at RAF Weston-on-the-Green on Thursday.
The parachuting instructor leaped from an aircraft but the canopy did not activate correctly.
An RAF servicewoman has died in a training accident at an Oxfordshire air base (pictured) after her parachute failed to open
The woman, whose identity has not been released, fell to her death at RAF Weston-on-the-Green on Thursday
An air force spokesman said: ‘We can confirm that a service person has died at RAF Weston on the Green. Our thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues at this time.
‘The incident is being investigated and it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage.’
RAF Weston-on-the-Green is used by the RAF to train parachutists from the army, air force and navy.
In 2015, the British Parachuting Association launched an investigation after experienced jumper Victoria Cilliers was seriously injured after her chute failed.
Her former husband, Emile Cilliers, a sergeant in the Royal Army Physical Training Corps, was found to have sabotaged both her main and reserve parachutes causing them to malfunction and her to spin out of control in the air before slamming into the ground.
She miraculously survived but suffered spinal injuries and a broken leg, collarbone and ribs.
It was the second attempt on her life within a week.
Cilliers had earlier tried to kill his wife and pocket a £120,000 life insurance policy by tampering with a gas valve at their home when both of their children were also present.
He had left for his barracks in Aldershot, Hampshire but fortunately Ms Cilliers noticed the smell of gas and rectified the situation.
Days later he tried again, suggesting they both do an Easter weekend skydive together.
Their first attempt at Netheravon, which is just outside Salisbury, Wiltshire and close to Stone Henge, was cancelled on that Saturday due to bad weather.
However, rather than return his wife’s parachute rig to the store, he took the equipment into the toilet and damaged both chutes.
He twisted the lines on the main one and then removed parts of the reserve before putting it in her locker ready for use the next day.
She proceeded to jump on Easter Sunday without him – only surviving due to her slight eight-stone frame and the fact she landed on a soft, recently ploughed field.
