Wingsuit daredevil was decapitated by plane wing 20 seconds after jumping out of the aircraft when pilot assumed he was gliding in a different direction and dived down straight into him

A French pilot has been charged with manslaughter after his plane decapitated a man wearing a wingsuit in France.

The horrific incident took place in July 2018 when Alain C. flew his single-engine Pilatus plane in front of some Wingsuit divers over Bouloc-en-Quercy near Toulouse, where he worked for a local skydiving school.

Nicolas Galy, 40, was one of 10 parachutists on board the flight and one of two passengers who jumped from the plane at about 4,000 meters, wearing a tight wingsuit – a device that covers the entire body and allows the wearer glide like a bird.

But his thrilling flight ended in tragedy after just 20 seconds when he collided with the wing of Alain’s plane, tearing his head from his shoulders and killing him instantly.

Standing before the court in Montauban, Alain described the incident as “the tragedy of my life” but insisted he had done nothing wrong and blamed Galy for deviating from his escape plan, claiming he had recklessly acted and suffered the consequences.

The pilot said he thought he was well clear of the wingsuiters before beginning his descent, but admitted they “don’t descend much and could come into conflict with the aircraft.”

However, he insisted that Galy, an experienced parachutist with 226 jumps, “did not follow the expected course and should never have followed that course.”

“He was parallel to the plane… It wasn’t my responsibility, I think my flight path was logical,” Alain told the court in comments carried by The Times.

“This has been the tragedy of my life, but it’s not my fault.”

Alain’s pleas were refuted by prosecutor Jeanne Regagnon, who asked the court to impose a suspended prison sentence of 12 months and a fine of 10,000 euros on the pilot, arguing that the murdered winguiter was “the only one who, without negligence, committed kept the rules’.

It also turned out in court that 64-year-old Alain had piloted the plane with an invalid driver’s license.

The French aviation authority had restricted his flying rights due to a medical condition, but he took to the air anyway.

The court will give its ruling in November.

It comes after a British wingsuit pilot died in July after falling 400 meters from a mountaintop in Italy.

Mark Andrews (photo centre) with members of the base jumping group Learn To Base Jump

Mark Andrews, 65, originally from Redruth, Cornwall, was killed instantly after falling from a cliff face in Trentino while dressed in a wingsuit.

It is believed he was wearing a parachute but apparently failed to deploy it after losing control.

The tragic accident took place at a popular base jumping spot in the Italian Dolomites near Paganella, near the city of Trento.

Andrews was an avid base jumping enthusiast and often posted clips of his escapades on social media.

The retired engineer is said to have been a relative latecomer to base jumping as a sport, but had completed almost 600 jumps before his death.

A mountain rescue helicopter was deployed to recover his body and he was later flown to a nearby hospital before being repatriated.

A base jumper who knew Mark said: ‘He came to base jumping quite late. He’s only been doing it since 2014, but he’s put a lot into those nine years.

“He was fearless and will be missed. He was a regular in Italy at several base jumping events, but had also made base jumps off bridges and skyscrapers all over the world.‘