British daredevil base-jumper, 32, who worked on Mission Impossible died after ploughing into Italian mountain
A British base-jumper parachutist who worked on a Mission Impossible movie died after colliding with an Italian mountainside, an inquest heard.
Dylan Morris Roberts, 32, ‘died doing what he loved’ while attempting a jump from a licensed jumping area on Monte Brento, near Lake Garda, on June 3, 2022.
Mr Roberts, 32, of Dent, near Sedbergh, Cumbria, had performed well over 1,000 such jumps in his life and was known as being ‘meticulous in his preparation’.
A statement read out at Cockermouth Coroner’s Court by a friend and fellow base jumper said that he held the highest possible qualification for parachute instructors in the UK, allowing him to perform ‘tandem’ jumps with learners.
He had been a skydiving professional and instructor for more than 10 years and worked as a ‘rigger’ for stunts performed on the Mission Impossible film during Covid, ensuring equipment was safe for all concerned.
And he had designed a ‘bespoke parachute system’ for a Tom Cruise stunt.
Mr Roberts had arrived at the well-known jumping site in the Dolomites to further hone his skills, according to his friend, and began walking up to the ‘Happy Birthday’ jumping spot on Monte Brento, around 1,000 metres high, at 5am on June 3, 2022 with two friends and fellow jumpers.
According to their statements, Mr Roberts, wearing a purple wing-suit, jumped second, after his colleague had landed safely at around 6.30am.
Dylan Morris Roberts (pictured), 32, ‘died doing what he loved’ while attempting a jump from a licensed jumping area on Monte Brento, near Lake Garda, on June 3, 2022
Mr Morris had been a skydiving professional and instructor for more than 10 years and worked as a ‘rigger’ for stunts performed on the Mission Impossible film during Covid
They heard a ‘loud crash’ 20 seconds after Mr Roberts jumped.
Their witness statements, along with footage from Mr Roberts’ camera he was filming from while jumping, indicated that he had failed to achieve sufficient velocity to generate ‘lift’.
He had then ‘aligned himself’ into the most aerodynamic position possible to gain velocity, which caused him to crash into the mountain, the inquest heard.
A post mortem found he suffered catastrophic head and chest injuries.
His mother Catherine Morris told the court: ‘Dylan was an amazing son, and an amazing brother.
‘He was able to bring tremendous happiness and joy to us as a family and to those who he met.
‘It was an extraordinary gift, he had an enormous smile that we always used to say wrapped round the world.
‘It’s what we all remember but it also reminds us he had so much love and so much joy to bring to us all.’
Mr Roberts had arrived at the well-known jumping site in the Dolomites to further hone his skills, according to his friend
His friend and skydiving colleague called him a ‘charismatic, devoted and humble man’.
He said: ‘He was a multi-disciplinary expert who was a talented and respected skydiving and BASE-jumping specialist, but also an excellent teacher.
‘Despite his undeniable skill and experience in his field, Dylan always remained grounded and he always strove to improve.
‘He sought training as much as he offered it – the hallmark of an expert.
‘Dylan was meticulous in his preparation and he handled risk in a considered way that only someone with his experience could do.
‘Beyond his numerous achievements, Dylan had the biggest heart I’ve ever known.’
Coroner Margaret Taylor said: ‘This was a tragedy of monumental proportions.
‘Dylan was clearly incredibly talented and much loved.’
She said there was ‘nothing to suggest there was anything unsafe in attempting that jump’.
Ms Taylor found that Mr Roberts’ death was accidental.
