Pretoria ‘action man’ will be remembered for his sense of adventure
During his career, Castignani performed around 2 000 jumps.
Angelo ‘Angel’ Castignani (67) tragically passed away during a skydiving accident at the Wonderboom airport on Saturday.
Mark Bellingan, National Safety and Training officer for the Parachute Association SA, who was present during the accident, said the exact cause still remains unknown.
“It was his second jump of the day and it seems there was some difficulty in deploying the main chute,” Bellingan said.
“As viewed from the ground the reserve parachute was fully inflated and flying.
“There was a 90 degree turn to face into wind and the landing was in an open field.
“The landing looked typical although slightly harder than normal.”
Bellingan will be conducting an investigation on behalf of the South African Civil Aviation Authority.
Born on May 26, 1955 in Durban, Castignani would go on to lead an adventure-filled life and touched the lives of many people.
He later moved to Pretoria for work.
His adventurous spirit soon saw him work as a stuntman on various prestigious films, including the 1986 action-adventure film, King Solomon’s Mines starring Sharon Stone.
It was during his time in the film industry where Castignani was introduced to his life-long passion of skydiving.
Proving he had a natural talent for the sport, Castignani would go on to demonstrate his skills at show jumps and became a famous name in the industry.
His partner, Louise Lemmer, confirmed that he had more than 2 000 jumps under his belt.
Castignani was a member of the United Nations Skydiving Brotherhood for more than 30 years, where he made lifelong friends.
His teammates described him as one of the most skilled skydivers they had ever come across and an all-round ‘action man’.
His love for the skies also saw him regularly flying light-aircraft. He was especially fond of Cessnas.
Not only was he a man who loved adventure, Castignani also had an artistic streak and built beautiful model airplanes from scratch with his hands.
These hand-built models closely resembled their real-life counterparts and were highly sought after by fellow aviation enthusiasts.
“They were incredibly beautiful and you could see a lot of love and passion went into making them,” said friend, Unita du Plessis-Hanekom.
“He built everything, Boeings, light-aircraft and even historical war aircraft.”
He was also known to paint earlier in his life.
Longtime friend Peter Morey will remember their bike rides.
“He loved his motorbikes and he and I would regularly go on rides together,” said Morey.
“I will remember him as someone who just loved life and always lived in the moment.
“He lived life to the fullest and was always ready for an adventure.”
Hanekom will remember him fondly.
“I will never forget the day we met in 1996 – you walked up to me at boarding point on my fifth progression static line jump, which I clearly failed,” she said.
“You said: ‘Hi, my name is, and you won’t believe it, Angel, and I will be your Jumpmaster today’.
“You then gave me your reassuring, naughty smile, which lit up my face. That smile lit up and touched so many lives and we became family that day.
“We had so many beautiful memories over so many years. Our hearts and souls are shattered, but yours are soaring. You were, and always will be, larger than life itself.”
Lemmer said he was the love of her life and was devastated by his passing.
“We met way back in 1977 and our lives took on different paths,” said Lemmer.
“In 2012 we met again and we were together ever since.
“I will remember him as a loving man who was always ready for an adventure.
“Even though he had this adventurous streak, he was a very calm person but was always busy with something.
“He was also an artist, and his creations were truly remarkable and I will always love him.”
ALSO READ: Four suspects arrested in Hammanskraal in possession of hijacked vehicle and stolen property
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
