Tangled parachute plunge deaths were 'tragic accident'

Brian Laithwaite, 65, and Emma Bramley, 31, had just taken part in a "six-way skydive" when Ms Bramley's parachute hit Mr Laithwaite's feet and became tangled around his body.

The pair could not free themselves and plummeted to the ground at Langar Airfield in Nottinghamshire on June 4, where they died instantly.

At an inquest at Nottingham Coroner's Court yesterday, coroner Nigel Chapman said the incident was a "tragic accident" and recorded verdicts of accidental death.

Parachutist Gary Davidson told the inquest he had been taking part in a six-way skydive with Mr Laithwaite, from Wigan, Lancashire, and Ms Bramley, from Top Valley, Nottingham.

He said: "A six-way skydive is where six people jump out as a collective group and get together at a certain point and perform certain formations."

He said the group, led by Mr Laithwaite, had come together and then were separating to move into clear airspace to deploy their parachutes at around 4,500ft to 5,000ft.

Mr Davidson opened his own parachute then noticed the problem with Mr Laithwaite and Ms Bramley.

"Emma's (parachute) was the lower of the two but they were heading towards the same point in the sky," he said.

"A few seconds later Emma's wingtip contacted Brian's foot."

He said her parachute then wound itself round Mr Laithwaite as it spun violently.

"Some time later amongst all the sort of whirling and confusion, I saw a reserve parachute deploy.

"Due to the spinning, it also became entangled with the other parachute."

The inquest heard a doctor was at the airfield and he and other onlookers rushed to the pair, but both were dead.

Post mortem examinations gave the cause of death as multiple injuries.

David Hickling, managing director of the parachute school at Langar, and drop zone controller on the day, said a total of 14 people jumped in the same jump - with the six as a separate group.

He said he was watching them jump from the plane using binoculars.

"I observed that there was a problem, I immediately knew it was Brian's parachute," he told the court.

Coroner Dr Nigel Chapman said: "This was a tragic accident."