Featured Image Credit: credit/Epic TV
Topics: James Bond, Olympics, London
Joe Yates
Harrowing footage has emerged online of the final moments before an iconic stuntman leaped from a helicopter to his death.
The video shows former James Bond stuntman Mark Sutton, of Surrey, England, jumping out of a chopper over Switzerland before crashing into a mountain ridge on the Swiss Alps.
The 42-year-old, dressed in a blue and red wingsuit, was 10,800ft high when he started his descent - with the intention of flying near the mountainside, crossing the open border into France and landing in a village.
Sutton was by no means a rookie skydiver; 12 years ago, he gained global recognition after he dove from a helicopter while posing as James Bond with a stunt-double of the late Queen Elizabeth II fastened to his front, during the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.
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His friend Gary Connery, who doubled for the Queen, told The Sun that Sutton was 'smart, articulate and funny'.
He said: "In any sport where you share a common bond you can make friends in a heartbeat that last a lifetime.
"My relationship with Mark was like that."
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That turned out to be the penultimate year of his life, as the former UK army officer met up with around 20 fellow world-class wingsuit pilots in the Swiss city of Trient, to take part in a non-competitive event.
It was while he was travelling at speeds of up to 155mph - more than twice the maximum speed limit on motorways in the majority of states - that he encountered difficulty in the air and subsequently collided with the mountain.
Footage that has resurfaced on X revealed how Sutton prepared himself to jump out of the helicopter, and in the moments before he did so, he signalled he was ready via a thumbs up to the pilot.
Heartbreakingly, he would meet his fate 20 seconds later.
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A statement on the website of Epic TV, which organised the event, said: "The accident occurred on the first day of the three-day event after several successful jumps had already been made.
"Rescue services arrived quickly and determined that Mr Sutton had immediately died upon impact."
While Trey Cook, who at the time was editor-in-chief of Epic TV, based just over the border in Chamonix, France, told the Guardian: "Wingsuiting does have its risks, like extreme skiing or Formula One car racing. Accidents happen and it is a sport that is very unforgiving for its mistakes. It is definitely not the first accident of this kind."