A woman who died when a tandem skydive went wrong made a ‘jokey’ comment suggesting she was in for bad luck, her family said.
Mum-of-four Belinda Taylor, 48, from Devon, fell to her death alongside instructor Adam Harrison,30, during a 15,000ft jump at Dunkeswell Airfiled near Honiton on Friday.
The experience was a ‘thank you’ present from her partner, who was forced to witness her plunge after deciding to watch with a pair of binoculars.
Belinda’s son, Elias, 20, praised her as a ‘selfless’ mother who ‘put everyone above herself’.
He told MailOnline: ”I spoke to her a week before it happened.
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‘It’s kind of weird thinking about it now, but at the time obviously she was saying how the jump would take place on Friday 13th and all those things … you don’t really expect what happened to happened.
‘She was mentioning it in a jokey way.’
Tandem dives typically see a first-timer or less experienced diver wearing a harness attached to a highly experienced instructor.
The incident is being investigated by police and the British Skydiving Board of Inquiry.
Elias said his mum had recently become ‘more adventurous’, doing outdoorsy activities such as kayaking with her partner Scott Armstrong.
Her partner, Scott Armstrong, said that his world has been ‘taken away’.
Scott said his ‘absolute world’ had been ‘taken away’, telling the Mirror: ‘She was so kind and giving and would do anything for anyone.
‘My nine-year-old son recently came to live with us and she welcomed him with open arms and was brilliant.
‘As a thank you present I decided to buy her the tandem skydive. She was absolutely buzzing about it.
‘The plan was to do a 7,000ft jump, but at the last minute she said she wanted to do a 15,000ft one, so I paid the extra money. They were the last group to go up.
‘I was using binoculars and saw them all jump and noticed that one chute hadn’t opened. I was freaking out. They disappeared from view. I jumped in my car with my lad and raced across the fields.’
Adam Harrison’s family said he was a ‘wonderful’ person who had been working as a skydiving instructor for five years.
His sister told The Telegraph: ‘Adam had built a sterling reputation as a professional instructor, and we take comfort in knowing that he would undoubtedly have done everything in his power to avert any crisis.’
Belinda’s eldest son, Connor Bowles, told local media she was a ‘selfless woman who wanted only the best for others.’
‘She will be deeply missed and will leave an everlasting impression on all those she has met in life,’ he said.
Robert Gibson, chief executive of British Skydiving, said: ‘British Skydiving has been notified of a tragic accident in which two jumpers lost their lives.
‘Our deepest condolences go to their families, friends and the entire skydiving community.
‘A British Skydiving Board of Inquiry will investigate the accident.
‘Once complete, a report – setting out the Board’s conclusions and any recommendations – will be submitted to the coroner, the police, the CAA, the British Skydiving Safety & Training Committee (STC) and any other relevant authorities.
‘No further details will be provided at this time. We respectfully ask for privacy for all those affected at this difficult time.’
A spokesperson for the CAA told the Mail: ‘We are aware of the incident and of our thoughts are of course with the friends and family at this difficult time.
‘We will work closely with the relevant authorities to understand what happened and are awaiting the report into the incident.’
Devon and Cornwall Police said that emergency services first attended the aerodrome at around 1pm on Friday and scene guards remain on site.
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