Partner of mum-of-four who died in skydiving accident watched her fall to death

"I feel so lost I don't know where home is without you"

On Friday, June 13 at the Dunkeswell Airfield in Devon, mum-of-four Belinda Taylor took on a tandem dive 15,000 feet in the air with an instructor as her other half Scott Armstrong watched on from the ground via binoculars.

The tandem experience, which was a gift from Scott, is designed for skydiving novices who haven't completed extensive training, but something went horrifically wrong that day.

Both skydivers died from the fall, which is now being investigated by the British Skydiving Board of Inquiry (via Metro).

Speaking to The Mirror after the accident, Scott described Belinda as his "absolute world".

"She was so kind and giving and would do anything for anyone. My nine-year-old son recently came to live with us and she welcomed him with open arms and was brilliant," he added.

"As a thank you present I decided to buy her the tandem skydive. She was absolutely buzzing about it. 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 was using binoculars and saw them all jump and noticed that one chute hadn't opened. I was freaking out. They disappeared from view. I jumped in my car with my lad and raced across the fields."

Writing on his Facebook profile, Scott demanded "answers" after "they took my world away".

An emotional tribute to Belinda continued: "I miss you so much, you were my best friend, thank you for everything you've done for me from making my children feel at home to putting up with my mess.

"I'm so lost without you I don't even know, my diet and the foods you made, 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."

Belinda's eldest son Connor Bowles went on to tell local media that she leaves "an everlasting impression on all those" who met her.

Following the double tragedy, British Skydiving chief executive Robert Gibson noted: "Our deepest condolences go to their families, friends and the entire skydiving community.

"A British Skydiving Board of Inquiry will investigate the accident. Once complete, a report – setting out the Board's conclusions and any recommendations – will be submitted to the coroner, the police, the CAA, the British Skydiving Safety & Training Committee (STC) and any other relevant authorities.

"No further details will be provided at this time. We respectfully ask for privacy for all those affected at this difficult time."