Pilot tried to stop SAS man's death plunge

A friend of a decorated SAS soldier who was haunted by his experiences in the special forces described yesterday how she tried to stop him leaping to his death from their plane.

An inquest in Oxford was told that Charles Bruce, 45, who was awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal for services in Northern Ireland in 1986, unbuckled his harness and jumped from a Cessna 172 Skyhawk at 5,000ft on 8 January.

Judith Haig, 29, Mr Bruce's friend and business partner, was piloting the plane as they returned to Northamptonshire from Spain when she decided to land at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire because of ice on the wings.

Ms Haig, from Cobham, Kent, told the inquest: "As I was getting to Brize, I noticed he began to slide his feet back ... He turned around, said a few words to me, and I asked him to help me fly the aircraft.

"He said I was doing fine – he had obviously thought it through. It all happened so fast. I heard him unbuckle his seatbelt – it's a very distinctive clink. He tried to conceal it from me. He turned to get out. I grabbed hold of him, trying to hold on with one hand to control the aircraft, and one hand on him. But I couldn't hold him."

The body was found in a field at Fyfield, Oxfordshire.

The inquest was told that Mr Bruce, who had two children, was granted a pilot's licence after lying to a doctor about his medical history. His own doctor had refused to endorse his application.

The coroner, Nicholas Gardiner, said he was disturbed that Mr Bruce had been able to get a pilot's licence despite his history of mental illness. Mr Gardiner said: "I'm very concerned about the handling of Charles Bruce's medical history and will be immediately writing to the Medical Board on this matter."

The inquest was told that Mr Bruce joined the Parachute Regiment at 17 and the SAS in 1981. He was discharged seven years later for not being a team player. He became a bodyguard for celebrities, including the comedian Jim Davidson, and was an accomplished skydiver.

But Mr Bruce, who had homes in Brackley, Northamptonshire and the Costa Brava, was haunted by his experiences in the special forces and suffered bouts of depression and mental illness. He had been prescribed lithium, but none was found in his system.

In February 1994, he had a breakdown. After eight days without sleep, he stabbed his girlfriend with a pair of scissors, believing she was a disciple of the devil and wanted to kill his son. He was confined to a secure hospital.

In a book entitled Freefall, an account of his life and breakdown, Mr Bruce wrote of the horror of seeing the victims of war and of how he had contemplated suicide.

After the inquest, Ms Haig described Mr Bruce as "a fine and rare man who generated huge affection, immense respect and great loyalty".

A verdict of suicide was recorded.