Olympics 'James Bond' stuntman Mark Sutton killed in Alps skydiving accident

Mark Sutton is believed to have hit a mountain ridge while taking part in wingsuit dive in the Swiss Alps

Thursday 15 August 2013 17:12 BST

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The British stuntman who parachuted into the Olympic Stadium dressed as James Bond during the opening ceremony of London 2012 has been killed in a skydiving accident.

Mark Sutton, 42, died yesterday after crashing into a mountain ridge in the Swiss Alps having jumped from a helicopter in an aerodynamic wingsuit, the Sun reported.

Sutton, a former Army officer, doubled for actor Daniel Craig for a section of the Olympic opening ceremony directed by Danny Boyle, which saw the spy jump out of a helicopter alongside a stunt double for Queen with Union flag-emblazoned parachutes.

Gary Connery, who played the Queen in the stunt last year, told the paper he had lost a close friend who was "smart, articulate and funny".

"In any sport where you share a common bond you can make friends in a heartbeat that last a lifetime," he said.

"My relationship with Mark was like that."

Skydiving wingsuits increase the surface area of the body, allowing users to glide through the air at high speeds before opening their parachutes.

Police in the Swiss Valais canton confirmed that a 42-year-old British man had died after jumping with a friend from a helicopter while wearing a wingsuit above the Grandes-Otannes area, close to the French border.

The pair jumped from a height of 10,826ft (3,300m) at around 11am yesterday and had planned to land close to the hamlet of Le Peuty, near Trient, police said in a statement.

A preliminary investigation suggests that he hit a ridge, police confirmed.

The statement added that they were in the region as guests of a company that makes extreme sports films for the internet.