Three deadly skydives from same spot - 'suicide', malfunction and freak accident

A peaceful patch of countryside near Peterlee, County Durham, has become the unlikely backdrop to a string of over the last decade.

In the most recent incident, popular skydiver, who had 80 jumps under her belt in 2025 alone, is believed to have deliberately chosen not to open her parachute as she plummeted from 10,000ft, according to reports, with .

It is the third tragedy to have taken place at the airfield in less than ten years. Here, the examines the harrowing history of accidents tied to jumps organised at or near the same facility: SkyHigh Skydiving, Peterlee.

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Jade Damarell

Jade plummeted 10,000ft from a plane over the weekend in what the skydiving club is calling a "deliberate act" after finding a suicide note. The popular skydiver, 32, had completed more than 400 successful jumps when she died after hitting the ground without her chute opening last Sunday.

Emergency services rushed to Wreford's Farm in Shotton Colliery on Sunday morning, but despite their desperate efforts, the skydiver was pronounced dead at the scene. Nigel Wreford, 56, a farm worker living close to the site of the tragedy in Peterlee, County Durham, said: “I’ve been told by quite a few people that she knew what she was doing - she had apparently left a suicide note.”

Nigel recalled the moment a traumatised parachutist who had been with Jade on her fatal fall turned up at his home. Mr Wreford added: “You can’t imagine how traumatic it must have been. She said he was in a hell of a state. He was very incoherent. It’s horrible. I can’t stop thinking about the girl and her family.”

Jade's own friend appeared to echo Nigel's claims, saying: “This wasn’t an accident. We believe she intended to take her life, sadly. She chose not to open her parachute and she landed on her back.”

SkyHigh Skydiving confirmed Jade's death, adding that the police had given "all indications" that the act was "deliberate". A spokesman said: "It is with great sadness that we confirm a tragic incident took place on 28 April 2025 involving a valued member of our community. All indications from the police and British Skydiving are that this was a deliberate act taken to end her own life.

"This heartbreaking news has deeply affected all who knew her, and our thoughts are with her family and friends as they face this unimaginable loss. At this incredibly difficult time, we ask for privacy and compassion for those grieving."

Sam Cornwell

Just a year earlier, in April 2024, 46-year-old skydiving videographer Sam Cornwell died in a devastating parachute failure. Sam had been filming another skydiver when his equipment catastrophically malfunctioned.

His main parachute deployed but twisted, rendering it useless, and the reserve chute failed to deploy in time. Sam crash-landed on the roof of the South West Industrial Estate near Peterlee and died instantly.

An inquest later revealed harrowing details, including footage from Sam’s helmet camera. “We have got the imagery of the person he is being paid to take the video of. They appear to shoot off, when it is actually their descent that is slowing,” said Jan Bostock, senior environmental health officer at Durham County Council, explaining the disorienting nature of the footage.

SkyHigh Skydiving said at the time: “We are all deeply saddened by the loss of a close friend, colleague and talented member of our team, our skydiving family.”

Pamela Gower

In 2016, the Peterlee-based parachute centre faced another grim chapter when Pamela Gower, 49, died in a harrowing skydive gone wrong. Pamela, from Hebburn, had dwarfism and was unable to physically perform a critical mid-air manoeuvre to correct a deadly spin, an inquest heard.

Despite her extensive training - including sessions in a wind tunnel designed to prepare her for such incidents - Pamela lost control during her descent and smashed into a parked car on a housing estate. The extreme G-forces left her unconscious, and her parachute never deployed.

Senior Coroner Andrew Tweddle said her unique stature had made it nearly impossible to perform the required recovery technique.

“So what we have is exceptional circumstances affecting a diver who is partially trained and because of her unique stature that made it difficult for her to recover through the arching technique. It is a combination of things all going wrong at the same time that led to the fatal outcome of this situation.,” he noted.

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