An experienced paratrooper has died following a mid-air collision during training above Jervis Bay airfield, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) has confirmed. Special Air Service regiment warrant officer Lachlan Muddle, 50, lost his life after colliding with another paratrooper after their parachutes had deployed.
Incident Details
The incident occurred several hundred feet above the ground in low-light conditions on Monday evening, Major General Garth Gould told reporters on Tuesday. Both paratroopers were highly experienced, with several thousand jumps between them, and were wearing night-vision goggles at the time.
“What we know of the incident suggests that both paratroopers collided several hundred feet above the ground while they were manoeuvring towards the drop zone,” Gould said. “After the collision, both soldiers fell from height.”
The second soldier, a sergeant from the ADF’s parachute school, survived the fall with minor injuries and provided immediate first aid to Muddle. He did not require hospitalisation and is recovering.
Tributes and Investigation
Gould described Muddle as a highly regarded, skilled professional who would be remembered for his sense of humour and deep commitment to serving the nation. Defence Minister Richard Marles said the exercise aimed to test advanced parachuting skills in low light, noting that “the defence force trains as it fights, and so there is necessary risk in defence force training.”
Marles added that Muddle’s sacrifice is as meaningful as any on the battlefield. He paid tribute to Muddle’s 30-year career, including five deployments and service in Afghanistan, and described him as an “expert sniper.” Muddle joined the army in 1994 and served with Special Operations Command since 2007, primarily within the SAS.
In response to the death, the ADF has paused all personnel parachuting operations nationwide pending an investigation. The training was part of a six-week block of advanced freefall training, with soldiers jumping from a civilian commercial aircraft leased by the military.
Previous Incidents
This is the second parachute training death in two years. In early 2024, ADF soldier Jack Fitzgibbon, son of former defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon, died during a parachute incident at RAAF base Richmond. Three inquiries were launched into that death, with findings yet to be released.
Marles stressed the importance of thorough investigations in both cases. Another army soldier died and two were injured in a vehicle rollover during training in Queensland in October 2025. Additionally, two soldiers were killed in a truck rollover in August 2021, leading to the defence department being charged with breaching work health and safety laws in 2023.
