Plunge horror of daredevil father after he ‘held his skydive too long’
A FATHER-of-two died in front of his best friend in a routine skydiving training exercise after making a fatal misjudgment, his father said.
Aiden Chaffe, who had done around 1,400 jumps, held his dive for too long and hit the ground at around 50mph.
His father Bryn said Aiden, 31, plummeted in front of his best pal, who is distraught over the horror in Langar, Nottinghamshire.
Bryn, who is also a professional skydiver, said Aiden’s son Harry, eight, keeps asking his mum if Dad will come back if he wishes hard enough.
Since the tragedy on Monday, a GoFundMe page has received more than £17,000 to help Aiden’s long-term partner Pip, 26, and his children, Harry and 18-month-old Olivia, who live in Shardlow, near Derby.
Aiden’s father said: “Devastated is an absolute understatement. He made one mistake and that one mistake killed him.”
He continued: “It’s not a freak accident, it is a misjudgment. He wasn’t doing anything crazy. His friends were with him in the landing Aiden with partner Pip and daughter Olivia area attending to him. His very best friend is in pieces.” Speaking of the money raised, Mr Chaffe said: “We didn’t know how much he was loved and how highly he was thought of and that is a comfort.” Mr Chaffe, of Billingham, County Durham, added: “This is not the first time I’ve been involved like this. “One of Aiden’s friends was killed in exactly the same way earlier this year. I know at some point I’ll have to scatter Aiden’s ashes. “I can’t bring him back, as much as I cry and scream for it not to be so. “The only consolation I have is that we got to work together this season. “I’ll treasure those memories for ever but I don’t know how I feel about going up in the air again. “The thought of jumping without Aiden is just awful and the last thing my family want me to do is to make another jump.”