Jade Damarell, a seasoned skydiver with over 500 jumps to her name, deliberately plunged to her demise from 15,500 feet after a personal relationship came to a sudden end the night before.
The devastating conclusion was delivered by Dr. Leslie Hamilton during a public inquest at Crook Civic Centre in County Durham, months after Damarell’s body was found on farmland near Fleming Field on April 27.
Highlights
- Experienced skydiver Jade Damarell intentionally fatally jumped from 15,500 feet.
- She disabled both her main parachute and automatic activation device, confirming the fall was deliberate, not accidental.
- Her relationship with fellow skydiver Ben Goodfellow ended hours before her death, a timing crucial to the investigation.
The investigation not only revealed that she had not deployed her main parachute, but that she also turned off her automatic activation device, which was meant to trigger a reserve chute in case of emergency.
“There was no malfunction. There was no accident,” Hamilton said. “She chose not to use her parachutes. She chose not to use her safety device.”
A skydiver fatally jumped from a plane after breaking up with her boyfriend the night before
Image credits: Facebook / Jade Damarell
The 32-year-old had spent the previous day completing six jumps without incident. That morning, she was seen calmly eating toast at the base café. Nothing seemed out of place, her colleagues recalled, Jade was smiling, relaxed and in peace.
But her smile was not one that came from happiness, it was the gesture of someone who was finally ready to let go.
Image credits: Facebook / Jade Damarell
When investigators examined her phone, they found a lock screen message that read “Check Notes.”
Inside the Notes folder were goodbye messages to her loved ones. In them, she apologized for what she was about to do, thanked them for all their support throughout the years, and left them instructions for her financial affairs.
Image credits: Facebook / Jade Damarell
“She made the choice to fall,” the coroner told her parents, who watched the proceedings via video link. “And I am so sorry for your loss.”
Damarell’s family described her as “a brilliant, beautiful, brave and truly extraordinary person.”
Image credits: Facebook / Jade Damarell
In a post-mortem tribute, her mother Elizabeth remembered her as someone who had “lived a life filled with achievement, adventure, kindness, generosity of spirit and freedom.”
“Some stars are so bright, they burn through their time too quickly, but their light never truly fades.”
Jade broke up with Ben Goodfellow, a skydiver with whom she maintained an 8-month relationship
Image credits: Facebook / Ben Goodfellow
For those closest to her, her fatal decision, coupled with the reason given by investigators, was bewildering.
Jade had once been married to Leeds-based solicitor James Damarell. By all accounts, it was a stable chapter in her life. But everything changed when Ben Goodfellow came into the picture.
Image credits: Facebook / Jade Damarell
Their shared passion for skydiving quickly evolved into an intense, fast-moving, and all-consuming romance. They lived together, trained together, and jumped together.
But the relationship lasted a mere eight months.
Image credits: Facebook / Jade Damarell
In a short statement read at the inquest, Goodfellow confirmed they had broken up the night before her death. No further details were given, but the timing was impossible to ignore.
Just hours after the breakup, Jade wrote her final messages, disabled her safety mechanisms, and boarded the plane for what would be her last jump.
“She knew she had to pull before 2,500 feet. She didn’t,” said Jeff Montgomery, Head of Safety and Training. “It is an extremely tragic incident.”
Following the tragedy, Jade’s parents hope her story can help others better understand mental health
Image credits: Facebook / Jade Damarell
Pathologist Dr. James Henry confirmed the blunt trauma injuries were “unsurvivable,” and toxicology tests showed no trace of drugs or alcohol in her system.
Detective Inspector Andrew Stephenson of Durham Police, who led the investigation, emphasized there was no evidence of foul play, coercion, or anything beyond Jade’s unfortunate decision.
Now that her parents have had time to process the devastating loss, they’ve chosen to put their pain aside in hopes that Jade’s story can help others.
Liz and Andrew Samuel say they now want to speak about their daughter’s passing “without shame,” believing it could contribute to a better understanding of mental health, particularly the reality that many people who seem content on the outside may be fighting battles no one can see.
All it takes is for someone to reach out and listen.
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