Clem Quinn, Del Hopkins and Bernard Devine carried out CPR in the plane on stricken Dave Coveney

by Chris Hunter

Three sky divers who fought a life and death battle to save a fellow parachutist at 12,000ft have been honoured for their efforts.

Veteran sky diver Dave Coveney, 74, collapsed with a heart attack while he and teammates were about to leap from their Cessna Caravan plane on a tandem jump above Headcorn Aerodrome in October last year.

Thanks to the efforts of fellow Headcorn Parachute Club members - Bernard Devine, 60, the jump master and tandem parachute instructors, Clem Quinn, 62, and Del Hopkins, 49 - Dave was brought back from the brink of death and survived the horror incident.

The jump was abandoned and the three performed CPR until the plane landed and they were met on the ground by chief instructor Peter Sizer, who rushed out with a defibrillator to meet the group.

Mr Coveney was shocked four times and CPR was continued until the ambulance team arrived, by which time he as breathing for himself.

Now the three life-savers are to receive top national life-saving awards from the Royal Humane Society for their battle on the floor of the crowded aircraft to keep their friend alive.

Dick Wilkinson, secretary of the Royal Humane Society, said : "This truly was a life and death situation in very difficult circumstances and it is only thanks to the actions of these three that Mr Coveney is alive today.

"The chilling thing is that the plane was close to the drop zone. It doesn’t bear thinking about if Mr Coveney had suffered the cardiac arrest after jumping.

"The three who saved him richly deserve awards they are to receive. But for them he would almost certainly have died."

No date has yet been fixed for presentation of the awards but it is expected to take place in the near future.