Leaders at a parachute club spoke today of their shock after the death of Essex man Ian George.

Mr George, 24, of Benfleet, died after his reserve parachute opened unexpectedly and tangled with his main canopy.

When he tried to release the chute, he lost both canopies and plummeted to his death at Headcorn Aerodrome, near Ashford, Kent, on Sunday.

Today, Peter Sizer, chief instructor of the Headcorn Parachute Club, spoke of his horror following the accident.

He said: "A lot of us saw this happen and we did not believe what we were seeing. We have got to find out what the facts are and learn from this tragedy. Parachuting is an adventure sport and you do it - not to cheat death - but to enjoy life."

Mr George attended the Headcorn club for the first time on Saturday. He completed the one-day static line training course and then returned for a refresher course before taking his fatal jump on Sunday.

Investigators from the British Parachute Association liaising with Kent Police finished examining the scene of the accident yesterday. An inquest was expected to be opened this week, but immediately closed for further investigations.

It is not the first fatal incident at the aerodrome. Back in May, parachute club instructor Andrew Kelly died when his chute failed to open.

A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said: "There have been previous incidents at Headcorn over the years.

"It must be understood in context. Headcorn is a busy parachuting centre with many thousands of people going parachuting there every year."

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