Olympic ceremony parachutist killed

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 15 Agustus 2013 | 19.12

15 August 2013 Last updated at 07:56 ET

The stuntman who parachuted into the London 2012 opening ceremony as James Bond has been killed in an accident.

Briton Mark Sutton, 42, from Surrey, died while wingsuit flying near Martigny, Switzerland, on Wednesday.

Swiss police investigating Mr Sutton's death said it appeared he had died after crashing into a ridge of rock.

Mr Sutton doubled for Daniel Craig's James Bond as he and another stuntman playing the Queen memorably jumped from a helicopter over the Olympic Stadium.

Wingsuit flyers wear special suits that are designed to allow them to glide through the air at high speeds, before a parachute is opened for landing.

Mr Sutton, a former army officer, jumped from a helicopter flying at 3,300m (10,826ft) with a fellow wingsuit flyer. They had intended to descend close to the mountainside and land at a village just across the border in France, police said.

Rescuers believe Mr Sutton died on impact when he hit the rock during his jump.

Footage examined

The stuntman had been invited by Epic TV to take part in the three-day wingsuiting event with about 20 other experienced flyers, who were to be filmed on their descents.

Trey Cook, editor-in-chief at the company, described the incident on the first day of the event as "devastating".

"It was a really casual event," he said. "They had gone up in helicopters and they were jumping. They were choosing their own courses. We were filming them as they were flying."

Mr Cook said the stuntman had jumped with two other people, one of whom had a camera to film the descent.

Steve Truglia

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Stuntman Steve Truglia explains the risks involved in wingsuit flying

Police are studying video footage of the jump, but Mr Cook said the moment of impact was not captured on film.

Epic TV make "extreme sports" videos for broadcast online.

Police said a formal identification of the body was under way and an investigation had been opened.

In a statement they said: "During this flight, one of the men had a fatal fall. According to preliminary investigations, it appears that he fell after hitting a ridge.

"The victim, a Briton, was 42 years old. He was in Chamonix with around 20 other wingsuit pilots, considered among the best in the world in this sport."

Stuntman Steve Truglia told the BBC there was a growing trend for wingsuit pilots to fly extremely close to the ground, mountains and cliffs. He added the practice was at the "cutting edge" of the sport.

"The route has to be planned. It's not like an ordinary sky-dive - the risk level is much, much higher...

"It's quite normal for those of us that do those kind of sports to want to push things a bit and sometimes your luck runs out."

'None finer and braver'

Gary Connery, the stuntman who played the Queen during the Olympic ceremony, tweeted what appeared to be a grieving message following his friend's death.

He wrote: "All you jumpers/flyers out there, stay safe, make wise choices and know your limits and your locations. Live to tell your stories. One love."

Danny Boyle, who directed the opening ceremony, told the Evening Standard that Mr Sutton was a "gentle and thoughtful" man and his death would be "a huge loss to his profession".

"The show was built from so many contributions from so many people, none finer and braver than Mark Sutton's," he told the newspaper.

"On behalf of everyone in the show we were all honoured to have him worked with him and to have known him as a friend and a professional.

"All our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues."


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