His vast experience in the practice of skydiving could not prevent the worst scenario. Chas McNeil49 years old, lost his life during one of his wingsuit jumps (o wingsuit in English), while he was enjoying this discipline with one of his friends.
The event occurred in the Dunkeswell airfieldin the county of Devon, located southwest of England.
Last Saturday, February 28, in the place near the English town of Honiton, a air ambulance. But there were no possible responses from emergency personnel that could reverse the dramatic situation.
What is known about the death of Chas McNeil
The end of experienced athlete – who was from the town of Swindon, in Wiltshire – is being investigated by the British Parachute Association (British Skydivingin English).
This body has already stated that it will send the relevant authorities a report with its conclusions on what happened during the fatal afternoon. These include the police, the forensic team, and the Civil Aviation Authority.
However, a witness cited by the British media The Sunassured that the parachutist “had missed his landing zone”.
“I was in Dunkeswell shortly after it happened and saw the emergency response. It landed in a wooded area next to the airfield and the landing area was lost,” said the user on social networks.
For its part, Skydive South Westthe company that operates the named racetrack, informed the local press that the man was using his own parachute equipment in the jump that led to death.
Farewell to a “true legend”
On the afternoon of the aforementioned day in 2026, the reaction to the McNeil’s untimely departure It didn’t take long to arrive. In the face of tragedy, the community of parachutists highlighted their value as a person and their desire to transmit their knowledge.
It is that the expert of that discipline He had completed no less than 10,000 jumpsan extremely remarkable number given that he was almost 50 years old.
His parents were one of the voices that resonated most among the numerous farewells, among which they described him as a “legend.”
Karol, the mother of the deceased, expressed with deep pain that Both his and McNeil’s father’s hearts were “heartbroken.”. He also echoed the messages received: “It gives us strength to see all the love and support from everyone who knew him,” highlighted the aforementioned media.
Among the entities that spoke out was the veterans charity Phoenix Heroes. McNeil belonged to this organization since its inception, which is why the news came as a complete “shock.”
The British was one of the first “regional captains” of the Carp Fishing Community for Veterans promoted by the entity. In her heartfelt final words, she defined him as a “good friend,” an expert fisherman and a “veteran with a passion for skydiving.”
“We recently talked about go fishing and meet at our events […] one of the good people in life, his presence always brought a smile. He was always happy to help others and faced life at a fast pace“, detailed the “Phoenix Heroes”.
Other deaths in skydiving
This is not the first loss that has been lamented in the practice of wingsuit, known in Spanish as “bird flight.”
It is worth clarifying that in this extreme sport –in which a person uses a special suit to fly in the air – a certain level of preparation is previously required. In any case, with this included, it could not be avoided that at Dunkeswell airfield there were already three deaths in the last nine months.
In June of last year Belinda Taylor (48), mother of four children, and the instructor Adam Harrison (30) lost their lives when their parachute did not open. This pair of people had jumped more than 4.5 kilometers high, so death upon touching the ground was immediate.
