Red Devils parachutist fell to his death after attempting unplanned ‘canopy stack’ at 3,000ft
A Red Devils sergeant major died after attempting an “unplanned manoeuvre” during a training jump, an inquest has heard.
Dean Walton, 36, became tangled in the lines of Nimsdai Purja, his skydiving partner, who told the coroner he had to cut off his own main parachute to save himself.
Mr Purja, a Nepalese mountaineer and former Special Boat Service trooper, told the inquest in Winchester on Tuesday he had no warning Mr Walton was going to try the canopy-stacking manoeuvre he is believed to have been attempting.
He added that he could also have lost his life in the jump at a skydiving centre in Seville, Spain.
He said: “I know that Dean’s family and friends are here today but I have to say the brutal reality is that he did endanger my life. I could also be dead.
“He was my instructor and more experienced than me – he should never have come on top of my canopy, especially with a smaller parachute like he had.”
Footage from a GoPro camera worn by Mr Walton during the fatal jump on Oct 14 last year was shown to the inquest. It captured the moment when his parachute lost its lift and collapsed while he stood on top of Mr Purja’s canopy.
His body sank into Mr Purja’s parachute and became entangled in its fabric and lines when the pair were about 3,000ft high. They were sent into a severe spin.
Mr Purja told the coroner he waited as long as he could for Mr Walton to disentangle himself from his main canopy before he cut it off and deployed his emergency parachute. Mr Walton crash-landed at high speed, dying instantly.
Mr Purja told Jason Pegg, the coroner for Hampshire: “I waited maybe about three seconds – but it feels like forever because we are falling at such speed.”
Victor Grande, an instructor at the Aerodromo la Juliana skydiving centre in Seville, said: “In order for Dean to be able to fly on top of Mr Purja’s canopy, he would have had to fly with almost full brakes on - and that’s why his canopy deflated and lost its lift.
“At that point, his full body weight is put on the canopy and he sinks inside Mr Purja’s parachute and gets entangled.”
Mr Walton’s cause of death was listed as “poly trauma and head injury” including fatal brain and chest haemorrhage. The coroner recorded the death as “misadventure”.
During the inquest, Mr Walton, from Portsmouth, was described as an “outstanding” parachutist and military man who served “with great pride” with the Parachute Regiment, including on an operational tour in Afghanistan for which he received an award after he saved an American soldier’s life.
Michael Firth, who served alongside him, said: “Dean was a fantastic friend and very good fun to be around. He lit up the room when he walked in.”
Mr Walton is survived by his widow Shelby and their two-year-old daughter Stella.
