Man dies in parachute school jump

An experienced parachutist has been killed in a jump in Nottinghamshire.

The man, who comes from Lincolnshire and is in his late 30s, was on his third jump at the British Parachute School at Langar, near Bingham.

It is believed he left the plane at 12,500ft but approached the ground too fast and hit his head on landing.

The Langar centre is based at the same airfield where the Archbishop of York made a sponsored parachute jump in June for soldiers' families.

'Low Hook Turn'

It is understood the parachutist, who lived near Grantham, had made more than 1000 jumps.

He was airlifted to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham after Saturday's incident but later died.

The school's chief instructor told the BBC his parachute opened normally but he landed awkwardly on his head after attempting a manoeuvre known as a Low Hook Turn.

An inspection has found the parachute to be in full working order and the man's family have been informed.

A full inquiry will begin on Monday.

According to its website, the British Parachute School has been operating at Langar, 12 miles south-east of Nottingham, since 1977.

Its jumpers make a combined total of more than 21,000 jumps each year and it is the the UK's busiest dropzone, according to the site.

In June the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, jumped out of a plane at the site to raise money for families of soldiers injured in Afghanistan.

Dr Sentamu was strapped to a member of the Red Devils parachute display team in the jump to raise funds for the Afghanistan Trust.