Wingsuit Coach Chas McNeil Dies in Dunkeswell Aerodrome Jump
Veteran skydiver with 10,000 jumps recorded as third fatality at Exeter site in nine months
Image: Matt Weston / AI
Carla Rooney
Veteran wingsuit coach Chas McNeil died Saturday afternoon following a high-speed aerial maneuver at Dunkeswell Aerodrome, marking the third fatality at the Devon facility in less than a year.
McNeil operated as a technical pillar within the British skydiving community for decades. He logged 10,000 successful exits during a career built on instructional precision and mechanical rigour.
Skydive South West confirmed McNeil was executing a high-speed wingsuit flight alongside a companion when the deployment failed. He wore a personal parachute system and an advanced webbed suit designed for maximum horizontal glide.
Witnesses watched an air ambulance touch down several hundred metres behind the primary landing zone. The impact site sat squarely within the perimeter of the Dunkeswell facility.
Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with their family, friends, and the wider skydiving community.
This death is the third fatality recorded at the Dunkeswell site within a nine-month window. The aerodrome serves as the primary hub for recreational jumpers and professional coaching across the South West.
British Skydiving and the Devon and Cornwall Police launched a formal inspection of the equipment and atmospheric data immediately following the impact. Investigators are currently stripping the primary and reserve parachutes to examine the deployment sequence.
Wingsuit safety protocols require rigorous adherence to glide ratio calculations due to the extreme physics of the discipline. Pilots utilize pressurized nylon suits to expand surface area, generating lift that allows for significant horizontal travel.
McNeil helped found Phoenix Heroes, an organization providing support to the veteran community. The group paused operations to acknowledge the loss of their foundational member.
"This is so difficult to write as Chas has been with us from the beginning of Phoenix Heroes," the organization stated in a public release. Colleagues cited his history of technical assistance and his high-paced approach to aerial sports.
Skydive South West issued a formal statement regarding the loss of their senior coach. "Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with their family, friends, and the wider skydiving community," the facility management stated.
A GoFundMe appeal launched hours after the incident to provide financial stability for the McNeil family. Organizers stated the funds will facilitate a ceremony honoring his contributions to global aviation sports.
Please help and support the McNeil family in the time, this collection is to celebrate all what Chas was to us all.
"Please help and support the McNeil family in the time, this collection is to celebrate all what Chas was to us all," the appeal stated. The campaign recorded a surge of donations from the national skydiving network within the first six hours.
The recurring fatalities have placed Dunkeswell under the direct oversight of national safety boards. This latest incident follows two other fatal accidents recorded at the same coordinates since mid-2025.
Wingsuiting persists as the most technically demanding discipline in modern aviation. It requires specialized training to manage aerodynamic forces that differ fundamentally from traditional vertical freefall.
The British Skydiving safety board is now scheduled to review telemetry and helmet-mounted video footage from the jump. This data determines whether the failure originated in the mechanical hardware or the execution of the flare maneuver.
Local authorities in Exeter and industry stakeholders continue to monitor the findings of the Devon and Cornwall Police. The aerodrome remains a focal point for a community now documenting a pattern of repeated loss.
McNeil’s legacy consists of the thousands of students he certified and the 10,000 times he exited an aircraft. His death removes a senior figure from the instructional ranks of the United Kingdom’s skydiving infrastructure.
The investigation into the specific air currents at the time of the jump remains ongoing. Technicians are measuring the tension on the deployment lines to identify any signs of premature release or entanglement.
Dunkeswell Aerodrome continues to facilitate flight operations while the safety review proceeds. The facility has not issued further comments regarding the status of its wingsuit certification program.
The national skydiving community has begun organizing a memorial jump to honor McNeil's 10,000-jump milestone. Participants plan to execute a formation flight over the South West region later this month.