Skydiving firm closes for good after mother plunged 15,000ft to her death with instructor during tandem jump

Daily Mail​

a day ago

The skydiving company where a mum and her instructor plunged to their deaths has announced it has ceased trading.
Skydive Buzz Ltd, based at Dunkeswell Airfield, near Honiton, Devon, told customers it is going into compulsory liquidation.
The company arranged a tandem parachute jump which went catastrophically wrong, leading to the deaths of Belinda Taylor, 48, and her instructor Adam Harrison, 30, on Friday, June 13.
Adam Harrison, 30, a student and skydive instructor, from Bournemouth, Dorset, and Belinda Taylor, 48, from Totnes, Devon, died in a skydiving accident after their parachute did not open as expected on Friday, June 13.
A statement on Sky Buzz website said: 'It is with regret that the director have been required to make the difficult decision to cease operations with immediate effect.
'It is proposed that the Company be placed into Compulsory Liquidation in due course. The Official Receiver should be in contact with creditors and customers to provide an update regarding the closure of the Company and the proposed Liquidation proceedings.
'We would like to thank our staff, customers and all involved with Sky Dive Buzz for their support over the years and apologise again that we have been left with little other option but to close.'
In a social media post, Dunkeswell Aerodome said: 'We would like to thank our staff, customers and all involved with Sky Dive Buzz for their support over the years and apologise again that we have been left with little other option but to close.'
Inquests have been opened into the tragic deaths of Belinda and Adam.
In recent weeks the company had stopped answering calls and customers said bookings had been cancelled, The Sun reported.
One customer said they have lost £550 after paying for three skydives which have now been cancelled.
They sadi: 'We have contacted the voucher company that we got them from and because it's been over two years since we bought the vouchers (because our skydives have been cancelled three times now since 2023) we won't be getting our money back apparently.
'I have always found them very helpful when the sky dives have been cancelled.
'They have always been very accommodating so it's very frustrating to find out that this is basically now just lost money.'
Another customer said their skydive in July was cancelled due to the weather, but have been unable to re-book since.
Skydive Buzz has insisted that the closure is due to financial reasons alone.
The company has not confirmed how many jobs will be lost as a result of the closure.
Mr Harrison's loved ones described him as 'the most wonderful and talented self-driven man'.
The 30-year-old had been lining up a new profession, one he tragically said was set to provide him with 'a bright future'.
While continuing his 'passion' as a self-employed sky dive instructor, Mr Harrison had been attending AECC University College in Bournemouth as a full-time 'Chiropractic Student'.
His family yesterday said he was 'on the brink of qualifying' and embarking on the new career.
Paying tribute to their 'beloved son, brother, uncle and friend', they added: 'He showed everyone that you could do anything if you work hard enough.
'We love you, Adam, more than you know. You were a hero to your nieces and nephews and we will never stop thinking about you.
'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.'
Mr Harrison joined GoSkydive in July 2017, where he learned to 'pack parachutes, harness and entertain customers' before being promoted to an instructor after years of training.
He then left to take up a self-employed role at Skydive Buzz, in September 2021.
Advertising the 15,000ft jump, the website reads: 'Once in a lifetime experience? Ticking the bucket list? Jumping for charity? Whatever your reason, if you can afford too; jump from the ultimate altitude! No-one jumps from higher in the UK!'
Ms Taylor's son, Elias, 20, told how his mother had been becoming more 'adventurous' after meeting her new boyfriend Scott Armstrong, who brought the jump for her as a present.
The university student who lives in west London also revealed that she had been making jokes about making the jump on Friday the 13th, a date which often prompts superstitions.
He said: 'She really just put everyone above herself. It's really difficult for (younger sister) Emily as she was the one living there with mum.
'I spoke to her a week before it happened. 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.
'It's all still a bit of a shock. Recently she had (boyfriend) Scott and two of his kids, and looked after them. She was getting more adventurous with him, kayaking and stuff, looking to have that excitement and have more fun.
'She talked for ages and ages, and always wanted to have a chat. She was such a positive person.'
He added: 'We just want answers about what happened and how it could have happened.
'We want as much information as possible, we feel like it would help us be at peace.'
Grieving partner Mr Armstrong has demanded information about what caused the tragedy, which is now being probed by the British Skydiving Board of Inquiry.
Ms Taylor's ex-husband Bachir Baaklini was also in tears as he described wanting 'justice' for Ms Taylor, with whom he shares two biological children, Elias and Emily, 13.
Speaking at his family home in west London, Mr Baaklini told MailOnline: 'We want her to rest in peace but we need justice.
'This should not have happened. We have got to know why the kids lost their mum.'
Mr Armstrong revealed how he watched in horror as it happened - after buying her the jump as a present.
He wrote on social media: 'I want answers. They took my world away.'
He added: 'I miss you so much, you were my best friend, thank you for everything you done for me. From making my children feel at home to putting up with my mess.
'I'm so lost without you. There's just so much that I don't have the words to express it. I feel so lost I don't know where home is without you.'
He has also described buying the sky dive jump experience for Ms Taylor, also a grandmother-of-two, as a 'thank you' gesture - and witnessed what happened alongside his nine-year-old son.
He told the Mirror: '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 found Belinda and the instructor lying there, still together, both clearly dead. It was a horrific sight.
'I miss her so much. I'm so lost without her. She meant the world to all of us and we'll never forget her. She was an adrenaline junkie and an adventurer. She'd done kayaking and all sorts.'
Belinda's eldest son Connor Bowles also gave a tribute to his mother. He said: 'On Friday, June 13, our family lost our mum Belinda Taylor.
'She was a mother of four children, three adult boys and one teenage girl, and a grandmother to two young children.
'She was a selfless woman who wanted only the best for others and especially her loved ones.
'She will be deeply missed and will leave an everlasting impression on all those she has met in life.
'We as a family would like to ask for peace and privacy during this time whilst we grieve our loss and remember our mum as we should do.'
Ms Taylor had three adult sons and a teenage daughter, as well as welcoming Mr Armstrong's nine-year-old son.