A MAJOR investigation is under way after a highly experienced skydiver died when his parachute failed to open.
David Ball (56), from the Barnton area of Edinburgh, died instantly when he hit the ground at Strathallan Airfield, near Auchterarder in Perthshire, on Saturday.
It is understood the father-of-three suffered a malfunction with his main chute and was unable to deploy his back-up in time to avoid the tragedy.
Mr Ball, who was married to Ruth, was a successful and senior figure in the Scottish banking and IT sectors.
He had worked at a senior level with a number of large organisations, including the Co-operative Bank, Bank of Scotland, Tesco Bank and Tesco.
He was also director of his own business, DCB Consulting Ltd, and was a qualified pilot.
Jumping at the Perthshire centre was temporarily suspended as Tayside Police launched a probe into the accident, in conjunction with the British Parachute Association (BPA).
At the site, Skydive Strathallan chairman Kieran Brady declined to comment on the tragedy or any issue of safety at the club.
It is understood, however, that the BPA has given the club permission to continue operating as normal.
Strathallan Skydive has been hit by a series of incidents in recent years.
The tragedy on Saturday was the third serious accident in just three years and the second fatality in the past eight years.
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