PARACHUTE tuition for British Special Forces is the best in the world and not in need of improvement, the inquest of an SAS captain was told.

Captain Daniel Wright, 25, of the Queen's Gurkha Signal Corps, died at Weston-on-the-Green after plummeting 2,500ft on November 17, 2005.

It was suggested to Flight Sergeant James Doig, who trains parachutists, that additional safety measures were needed - including two-way radios for trainees and beeping altimeters to warn whether to deploy reserve chutes.

Flt Sgt Doig told Capt Wright's inquest in Oxford: "We feel that at the moment these measures are not necessary.

"Our training is the best in the world. We have a very good record. We have very few injuries."

Capt Wright, of Newport, South Wales, was the second of three trainees to jump from the plane, which had taken off from RAF Brize Norton.

His main chute did not open and he did not open the reserve until it was too late.

The inquest heard on Tuesday that if Capt Wright had been equipped with a radio he probably would have survived because colleagues could have talked him through what he needed to do.

Oxfordshire assistant deputy coroner Andrew Walker asked witness A, not named for operational reasons: "Is it more likely than not, on the balance of probabilities, that a radio would have saved his life?"

Witness A replied: "I can't disagree with that."

But Flt Sgt Doig said that radios could cause further confusion to students doing their first set of jumps.

He said he used a loud hailer to call up from the drop zone to students who got into difficulties. It was probably audible at about 500ft, he said.

"Radio would only be useful to give very minor instructions because once the canopy is open not a lot can go wrong," he said.

"The instruction is: any concerns, release the reserve chute."

Earlier the coroner ordered the MoD's barrister, Oliver Sanders, to get Capt Wright's altimeter, which indicates altitude, tested to see if it worked or not.

He expressed astonishment when told a document relating to whether or not the piece of equipment worked had been destroyed.

Mr Walker said: "I find it hard to believe that when a tragedy of this magnitude occurs, a document relating to the equipment is destroyed."

The inquest continues.