Skydiver who survived fall was a new mother
Soldier’s wife had baby weeks before near-death drop
THE wife of an army sergeant suspected of tampering with her parachute to kill her had given birth to their son just over a month before she survived a 4,000ft fall, it was revealed yesterday.
Experienced parachutist Victoria Cilliers suffered multiple broken bones when she hit the ground after her parachute and reserve canopy failed to open fully.
Although she managed to slow her fall from 60kmh to around 45kmh, police said it was miraculous that she wasn’t killed.
It emerged last night that the mother of two may owe her survival to the fact that she landed in a recently ploughed field.
Her 35-year- old husband Emile Cilliers was arrested last week on suspicion of her attempted murder after police revealed that vital parts of her parachute had been missing. Last night a source close to the English parachute club in Netheravon, Wiltshire, said 39-yearold Mrs Cilliers gave birth to son Ethan five weeks before the fall on April 5, Easter Sunday.
He added that the skydiver was ‘very fortunate’ to land in a freshly ploughed field, and said her slight build had also helped to slow her descent.
Mrs Cilliers, who suffered broken ribs, a broken collarbone, a broken leg and spinal injuries, was yesterday at her home in nearby Amesbury.
Detective Inspector Paul Franklin said: ‘This woman would have been dead if her chute hadn’t partially opened, this meant her descent was slowed enough for her to survive the fall. However, we were alerted to concerns over what had happened by the parachute club and as a result instigated an investigation.
‘In particular, we are looking for slinks that were missing from the parachute which may have been removed and discarded somewhere.’
A local woman believed that Mrs Cilliers had jumped from a Cessna Caravan light aircraft.
It was also reported yesterday that airfield sources said Mrs Cilliers was unable to use her personal parachute that day because it had not been unpacked and inspected within the last six months.
Her husband reportedly signed out an army parachute from the airfield storeroom on behalf of his wife on Easter Saturday.
However, neither the police nor the British Army storekeeper would confirm this.
She was ‘very fortunate’