Sky News — sky news: Man, 49, dies taking part in skydive at Dunkeswell Aerodrome
A 49-year-old man has died after taking part in a skydive at Dunkeswell Aerodrome in Devon; sky news coverage of the incident notes police and emergency services attended the site just before 1pm (13: 00 GMT) on Saturday 28 February. The death was confirmed at the scene and the man's family have been informed.
Police called to Dunkeswell Aerodrome just before 1pm on Saturday 28 February
Devon and Cornwall Police said officers were called to Dunkeswell Aerodrome, near Honiton, just before 1pm on Saturday 28 February following concerns for the welfare of a male skydiver. Emergency services attended the scene, where a 49-year-old man was confirmed deceased, and his family have been informed.
Officers remain on site as enquiries continue
Police are guarding the scene at Dunkeswell and say enquiries into the incident are ongoing. Officers remain at the airfield while emergency services and investigators carry out their work; the initial call for help came at about 13: 00 GMT on Saturday.
Earlier tandem jump deaths at the same airfield in June 2025
The incident comes less than a year after two people died during a tandem jump close to Dunkeswell Aerodrome. Skydiving instructor Adam Harrison, 30, from Bournemouth, Dorset, and Belinda Taylor, 48, from Totnes, Devon, who was described as a mother-of-four, died when their parachute failed to open on 13 June 2025. Harrison and Taylor suffered multiple injuries after their skydive from 15, 000ft (4. 6km), and the skydiving company that organised that tandem jump later went into administration.
Dunkeswell Aerodrome’s location, history and activities
The Dunkeswell Aerodrome is a former RAF site located in the Blackdown Hills area of Devon, close to the county's border with Somerset and near Honiton. On its website the site is said to have been initially established as an American naval base during the peak of World War Two and to now support a network of aviation businesses and commercial developments. The aerodrome is also claimed to be the highest licensed airfield in the UK at 839ft (256m) above sea level.
Recreational offerings at the airfield include skydiving, flight tours and training
Alongside skydiving, activities offered at Dunkeswell include Spitfire flight tours, wing-walking and flight training for aircraft; the site also advertises helicopter training. The airfield hosts a range of aviation businesses and commercial developments that use the former RAF site in the Blackdown Hills.
Further details about the circumstances of Saturday's death have not been released and inquiries remain ongoing; elements not clear in the provided context are unclear in the provided context.
