COUNTY DURHAM, England (BN24) — A British skydiver who leapt 15,500 feet from a plane without deploying her parachute died by suicide just hours after ending her relationship with her boyfriend, an inquest has ruled.
Jade Damarell, 32, was killed instantly when she struck the ground at Wrefords’ Farm in Peterlee, according to evidence presented before coroner Dr. Leslie Hamilton, who confirmed the cause of death as suicide.
Damarell, an experienced jumper with more than 500 skydives, had broken up with her boyfriend of eight months, Ben Goodfellow, the night before her death. Handwritten notes addressed to her family were found at around 2:30 a.m. on April 27, the inquest heard.
On the morning of her final jump, she was seen eating breakfast by Bryn Chaffe, co-owner of Sky-High Skydiving. Chaffe told the hearing she appeared quiet but added that her demeanor was not unusual.
Damarell completed six routine jumps the previous day without any problems, but on her last descent she made no attempt to deploy her parachute or emergency backup. Investigators revealed that she had disabled her automatic activation device, which is designed to release a parachute at a set altitude. A report by British Skydiving later confirmed her equipment was fully functional.
Her cause of death was recorded as blunt trauma from multiple severe injuries, including a fractured skull. Durham Constabulary said her death was not being treated as suspicious, while Sky-High Skydiving described the tragedy as “a deliberate act” and ruled out negligence by the club.
In a statement following the inquest, her family paid tribute to Damarell, describing her as a “brilliant, beautiful, brave and truly extraordinary person” who lived with passion, adventure and kindness.
“Jade loved the sport with a passion, and it brought her so much joy,” the family said. “Sky-High handled the tragedy and investigation into Jade’s death professionally and with compassion that allowed us to all share in our grief.”
Her mother, Liz, honored her memory with a final tandem skydive organized by the club.
The family added that by speaking openly about her death, they hope to encourage more compassion around mental health struggles.
“We miss Jade beyond words, but Jade’s love, brilliance, courage and light will live on in our family and among all those who knew and loved her,” they said.
