A British NASA scientist and wingsuit champion died in a base jumping accident in Saudi Arabia years after starting a project to make the sport safer. Astronautical engineer Dr Angelo Grubisic, 38, lost his life while taking part in a planned jump in the Middle Eastern country on Tuesday, weeks after he was crowned a wingsuit champion by the British Parachute Association. The 'phenomenally talented' scientist had led a wingsuit design team at the University of Southampton where he lectured in astronautics and advanced propulsion. He had previously worked on spacecraft propulsion for the European Space Agency and NASA - and in 2015 he set up the 'Icarus Project' which sought to design a world-record breaking wingsuit while improving safety.