A Harrogate man died during a skydive after he was given a parachute with holes patched over.
An inquest yesterday heard Christopher Swales was skydiving over the Grand Canyon in America in September 2019 as a 30th wedding anniversary present from his wife, Deborah.
The couple were on holiday in Arizona where they renewed their wedding vows.
They booked Mr Swales’ skydive with a company called Paragon Skydiving.
The inquest at Northallerton heard Mr Swales was partnered with an experienced military instructor, Matthew McGonagle, for his tandem jump.
In a statement, Mr McGonagle said everything was normal on the morning of the jump. He said the winds were high at 27mph, which is two miles more than allowed in the UK for a skydive to take place. But the American Air Force expert had jumped many times in those conditions.
Mr Swales and his instructor jumped out of a Cessna aircraft, and the parachute opened. Minutes later, witnesses on the ground say the men began freefalling down at speed.
When they hit the ground, Mr Swales suffered serious injuries. Staff on the ground performed CPR on Mr Swales, but he was later certified dead. Mr McGonagle had broken his leg.
Chris and Deborah Swales. Photograph: Facebook
Performed over 1,500 jumps
The inquest heard Mr McGonagle, 34, had worked at the US Air Force as a jump master, and he had performed over 1500 jumps. He had an additional weekend job with Paragon Skydiving.
Mr McGonagle told American police he felt the pressure change as they approached the landing area, and he suspected the parachute had collapsed. After hitting the ground, he remembered little else other than medical staff and being taken to hospital.
The owner of Paragon Skydiving, Jason Theuma, watched the jump from the ground. He told police all the equipment was functioning correctly but maintained that Mr McGonagle must have panicked once he realised they were going to miss the landing area.
Theuma said he saw his employee attempt an “aggressive left turn, midair”. He told officers that he saw the two men hit the ground “at high speed in a loud boom and a cloud of dust” 100 yards away from the landing zone.
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US police took the parachute from Paragon’s offices, as part of their investigation into Mr Swales’ death.
The American police report states that they found, ‘numerous patches sewn into the fabric’. Defects or holes in the material had been circled with a pen.
American police closed their investigation after ruling Christopher Swales’ death as accidental.
Family statement
The coroner, Jonathan Heath, said:
“It appears there was nothing untoward at the start of the free fall parachute jump. It then appeared that the landing site was going to be missed. A manoeuvre was performed. The parachute did not recover from that manoeuvre which led to the free fall.
“On the balance of probabilities…this was an accident.”
Seven family of Mr Swales’ family members sat silently listening. Two of them began crying as they made a statement, which said:
Inquest opens into two deaths at Harrogate’s Majestic hotel“It is important for these proceedings to establish the facts. Chris had a very full life. Full of love and exciting fun times. We had many good times. That is how we are going to remember him.”
A coroner has opened an inquest into this month’s suspected murder-suicide at the DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic Hotel.
The inquest yesterday heard how Chenise Gregory and Michael McGibbon, who were both aged 29, died in a room at the hotel on May 4. They were found at 10.20pm.
John Broadbridge, assistant coroner for North Yorkshire and York, told the inquest:
“Chenise Gregory and Michael McGibbon died on May 4. They were found unresponsive, having suffered evident stab wounds.
“This was opened in Northallerton and adjourned for a full inquest, which should be held within the next three months.”
The full inquest will investigate how the pair, from London, died and the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
North Yorkshire Police has said it believed Ms Gregory was murdered by Mr McGibbon, who then killed himself.
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Devante Gravesande-Smith, a barrister from London who was a cousin of Ms Gregory, has described her as a “loving and caring person, whose smile would light up a room”.
He claimed she was “lured to her death at the hands of her controlling and manipulative ex-boyfriend”.
Harrogate man died from drugs, not head injury, inquest toldA coroner has ruled that a Harrogate man died as a result of drugs rather than a head injury, as police first believed.
Aaron Atkinson, 38, who was homeless at the time of his death, was found at a flat at Park House Green on May 7 last year.
North Yorkshire Police arrested two men, aged 46 and 40 at the time, on suspicion of murder and robbery shortly after the incident.
However, the force has now dropped its suspicions of murder.
It told the Stray Ferret today that one of the two suspects remains under investigation for assault and robbery. The other is still under investigation for robbery and theft.
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Jonathan Leach, assistant coroner for North Yorkshire and York, said at an inquest in Northallerton today:
“It is clear from the reports I have seen that Aaron Atkinson had a history of alcohol and drug abuse.
“Mr Atkinson was found unresponsive at a flat on Park House Green at 3am. The post-mortem found that he had taken heroin, cocaine, alcohol and anti-depressants.
“I have found the cause of death to be drugs-related.”
A mother’s tribute
Christine Bloomfield, Mr Atkinson’s mother, was at the inquest and told the Stray Ferret about her son’s life:
Ripon construction worker died from head injuries, inquest told“People should remember Aaron for his heart of gold and his smile. He was a loving brother and son.
“He just got on the wrong path and went through a lot of heartache. Aaron recently lost his nan, dad and wife.
“My son was getting back on track. I saw him before he died in March and he had cleaned himself up.
“When we go through a life with a lot of sadness we all go in search for something to comfort us. With him it was drugs and alcohol.
“But he started to realise that he needed to make some changes. I believed him, he was doing well and I was proud of him. Then this happened.”
A construction worker who died on a building site in Ripon has been named at the opening of an inquest today.
Dean Christopher Myers, 56, died on January 13 at the site on the corner of Whitcliffe Avenue and Harrogate Road.
The inquest at Northallerton heard that Mr Myers, from Scotton, is suspected to have died from a severe head injury.
John Broadbridge, assistant coroner for North Yorkshire and York, said:
“While in the course of his work as a ground worker for a construction company, he was struck by a moving bucket on a digger.
“The cause of death, which is yet to be fully determined, was provisionally found to be a severe head injury and blunt force trauma.”
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The inquest, which will determine the cause of death, was adjourned until a later date.
North Yorkshire Police issued a brief statement the day after the incident saying:
“Police were called to a report of an industrial incident in Ripon at about 10.30am on Wednesday.
“A man was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. Enquiries are ongoing jointly with the Health and Safety Executive.”