A Notts man found a skydiver’s camera buried 10 inches below a field four years after it was lost on a jump.
Richard Pincott, part of Keyworth-based metal detecting group The Field Detectives, found the camera while searching on a farm last month.
He and the team were at Harby, near Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, after the landowner asked them to see if they could find evidence of an old building he believed used to be on the land.
While using metal detectors, Richard came across a strong signal and dug down to find the mobile camera covered in mud.
After taking it home he was amazed to find most of the footage on the device could still be played, but the last recording needed to be restored by a computer expert.
It showed a skydive – and the moment the camera was kicked off the owner’s head on a jump.
He then sent the pictures to nearby club Skydive Langar – where members immediately recognised the men in the pictures and the owner as skydiver Henry Cressey – who had lost the equipment in the collision four years ago.
Richard has since returned the camera and footage to Henry.
Richard said: “I couldn’t believe it at first, that we managed to find it four years afterwards.
“There were 50 clips on the camera card and 49 of them worked, without anything needing to be done to them.
“The last clip on the camera needed work doing to it but it has been recovered and it shows a foot coming into contact with Henry’s face.
“He says he has footage of him getting a nose bleed from that on his other camera.”
Richard found the battery had corroded, but no water had got into the camera.
Richard said: “We made contact with the parachute club (Skydive Langar) and sent them over a still of a man who featured in one of the clips.
“The club then said they recognised the man straight away as Henry.
“He has some of the clips but is out of the country at the moment.”
