Skydiver survived plunge after 'going into tailspin'

Mitchell Deakin hit the ground at "approximately 35-45mph", a police report said

A man who survived an 11,000ft skydiving accident plunged to the ground after his parachute failed to properly open and went into a tailspin, police have said.

Mitchell Deakin, 25, was severely hurt in the fall in Las Vegas alongside his skydiving instructor, a 54-year-old man, who also survived.

Mr Deakin, from Lytham St Annes near Blackpool, Lancashire, was airlifted to hospital after crash-landing in the desert near Jean, south of the city on 17 September.

Las Vegas Police have now released a full incident report of the fall, describing how a fellow instructor watched as both the parachute and back-up chute malfunctioned.

The report said the pair hit the ground at "approximately 35-45mph".

"Significant injuries were sustained" by Mr Deakin and his instructor, and they were both taken to the University Medical Centre by air ambulance, it said.

Mr Deakin's plane took off from the tiny Jean Airport in Nevada

Police said the instructor of a second set of jumpers, Mauro Ravanelli, saw the primary chute "was not working as well as it could have" and the back-up chute was then deployed.

However, Mr Ravanelli said that chute "had greater issues since the slide did not go all the way down preventing the full opening of the chute".

He then said he saw Mr Deakin "went into a spin that he could not get out of".

"Then they hit the ground," he added.

Police said the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) responded and was conducting its own official investigation "which will be much more in depth".

'Loved and adored'

According to a fundraising page set up by Isabel Clacher, Mr Deakin's girlfriend, he is recovering in hospital after surgery.

She wrote: "This accident has left Mitch with extreme injuries including a fractured pelvis, broken ribs, pneumothorax (perforated lung) and a kidney laceration."

In a further update on 25 September, written by his mother, she said Mr Deakin's chest drain had been removed and he had been able to walk a short distance with the aid of a frame.

She said: "He is really positive, being looked after by an excellent hospital team and is truly grateful for all your kindness, messages, chats and calls."

Staff at a pub where Mr Deakin plays pool, the Links in Lytham St Annes, described him as "loved and adored" by all his teammates and "everybody that has had the pleasure of knowing him".

The Links is staging a fundraiser for the "key member of their pool team" on Friday.

They wrote in a post on Facebook: "Miraculously, Mitch and the experienced skydiver he was strapped to both survived."

However, they said Mr Deakin was expected to remain in a Nevada hospital for at least another two to three weeks before he is given the all clear to fly back to the UK.

A spokesperson for the FAA previously told the BBC: "The FAA investigates the packing of the main and reserve parachutes, and the rules of flight for the pilot and aircraft.

"If the FAA does not find any evidence of regulatory violation, it will defer any further investigation of the accident to local law enforcement.

"The FAA does not determine cause."