| Links for 2012-12-29 [del.icio.us] Posted: 30 Dec 2012 12:00 AM PST |
| Speedriding Video: Thunderhawk Performance RZR Products Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:01 PM PST
Thunderhawk Performance RZR Products
by Youtube Speed Riding  |
| Twin Falls Idaho: Current Conditions : 20F, Clear - 12:53 PM MST Dec. 29 Posted: 29 Dec 2012 12:50 PM PST Temperature: 20°F | Humidity: 71% | Pressure: 30.18in ( Falling) | Conditions: Clear | Wind Direction: ENE | Wind Speed: 5mph  More... |
| Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland: Current Conditions : 1.7C, Clear - 8:57 PM CET Dec. 29 Posted: 29 Dec 2012 12:50 PM PST Temperature: 1.7°C | Humidity: 87% | Pressure: 1019hPa (Steady) | Conditions: Clear | Wind Direction: South | Wind Speed: 0.0km/h More... |
| Speedflying Video: CANYONS SPEEDFLY on a pow day 12/28/12 Posted: 29 Dec 2012 12:30 PM PST
CANYONS SPEEDFLY on a pow day 12/28/12
by Youtube Speed Flying  |
| Clement Borrel Posted: 29 Dec 2012 10:02 AM PST  Clément Borrel August 04, 2010 Nationality: French Object Type: Earth Location: Dent de Crolles, France COD: Impact Clothes / Suit: Normal clothes Description: THere was no direct witness of the accident. This report comes from another jumper whom inspected Clement and the gear. 60m to 80m below the exit of the Dent de Crolles, there is a steep ledge (6m width) one needs to clear with a serious launch. Clément was seen by a basejumper under open canopy flying high near the cliff around 10:30 on Wednesday. He didn't reappear in the evening and the rescue teams started searching by night. Due to rain and mist, he was found 2 days later dead with severe head and neck injuries, on Friday morning around 7:30. He was in a very steep gorge where no one would normally land, far from the cliff bottom where his camera was found only at 10m of the steep cliff bottom 350 m below the classical exit. The helmet with the chinstrap broken was found a little farther than the camera. A review of the camera memory card showed that no release of video occurred whereas he used to film his jumps. The toggles had not been touched: he either was unable to unstow the toggles, or was unconscious or dead under canopy. A 36" pilot chute was found connected to the canopy. Whether he slipped approaching the exit due to unstable slope with disintegrated rocks or he had unstable exit without the force necessary to jump safely from this exit, is unknown. He lost his helmet with the camera on the impact and was seen under opened canopy, he landed farther to the south in a steep gorge where he was found two days later. bfl-footer footer BFL    |
| William Heidebrecht Posted: 29 Dec 2012 09:57 AM PST  William Heidebrecht September 14 , 2010 Nationality: Canadian Object Type: Earth Location: High Nose, Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland COD: Low Pull Clothes / Suit: Wingsuit Description: William, a Canadian firefighter and experienced BASE jumper, went to the valley and made a jump from the high nose with his Vampire 3. He opened with multiple line twists and ripped his zipper clean off getting free in a hurry but landed safely. With his V3 unusable he went to his Phantom 1. His flight was fine but at pull time muscle memory had him reaching for a leg pouch as he always did when flying his V3. After 2-3 feels he then remembered its a BOC when using the Phantom and finally pitches. As the lines came out he impacted the ground killing him instantly. bfl-footer footer BFL |
| Kylie Buffy Tanti Posted: 29 Dec 2012 09:43 AM PST  Kylie 'Buffy' Tanti September 27, 2010 Nationality: Australian Object Type: Building Location: Alor Setar (Alor Star), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia COD: Impact Clothes / Suit: Normal clothes Description: Kylie was wearing a 'Go Pro' Camera mounted on her helmet. The clip on the camera had broke before and she was seen gluing it on before the jump. This would be her 3rd jump of the day, the first 2 being PCA's, and this would be her first handheld. This is from the exit point co-ordinator Tom, He is not a jumper but is one of the few Menara KL staff really respected by The base jumping organizers. He has seen enough base jumps over the last few years to know what he is really seeing and was the one PCA'ing those that were not comfortable with freefalls. Tom said he checked her out on top and all looked fine. He asked her twice if she wanted a PCA to ensure she was comfortable with the first hand held she was doing there. She went off not too bad and pitched after half a second. He said as soon as she pitched it looked different than normal. Where he sees a jumpers pitch normally out at maybe 45 degrees, this seemed to be closer to her head and forward. It appeared the bridle did one complete wrap around the camera maybe 2 feet from the pilot chute. He believes she eventually got it free but it was too late. The slight crosswind that existed, combined with a weak pitch forward, were the contributing factors allowing the bridle to wrap around the GoPro mount. 300ft doesn't give you much time to address a problem-- Buffy fought, cleared the bridle, but ran out of time impacting as the canopy was in the process of reaching line-strech. If you find yourself at an exit point with a Bender (from Futurama) toy containing ashes, you're about to make a jump with Buffy. bfl-footer footer BFL  |
| Yngve Fosker Fjeldstad Posted: 29 Dec 2012 09:33 AM PST  Yngve Føsker Fjeldstad October 08, 2010 Nationality: Norwegian Object Type: Earth Location: Karlskråtind, Romsdalen, Norway COD: no pull Clothes / Suit: Wingsuit, cliff strike in freefall Description: This report comes from a jumper on the scene: Had been jumping for several years, and made quite a few jumps each year (not sure total jumps). Did a tracking jump from Karlskråtind. He was found with closing loops blown out, indicating no pull at all. He probably tried to out-track the ledge and failed. bfl-footer footer BFL |
| Mike Mercyless Marko Posted: 29 Dec 2012 09:23 AM PST  Mike 'Mercyless' Marko December 30, 2010 Nationality: Hungarian Object Type: Earth Location: High Ultimate, Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland COD: Impact (freefall) Clothes / Suit: Wingsuit, cliff strike in freefall Description: This report comes from a jumper on the scene: That morning 8 of us went up to high ultimate ramp, 4 tracking jumpers, 4 wingsuiters. He exited last, solo wingsuit jump. I did not see his jump, was stashing my gear, only heard the strike. According to eye witnesses at landing (3 Belgian jumpers) he got unstable right after the exit, they did not see if he hit the first positive part, so he probably did not get unstable of hitting the cliff in freefall. Then he was in spin and roll for a long time, he could not fix the position, then he pulled, but too late, he struck the ledge at the 1/3rd of the cliff (down at around 250m level) before canopy inflation. After the strike the canopy opened, and he flew down close to the river, landed on a tree already dead. bfl-footer footer BFL  |
| Speedflying Video: 14 gopro hd speed flying in france tv commercial you in hd Posted: 29 Dec 2012 09:20 AM PST
14 gopro hd speed flying in france tv commercial you in hd
by Youtube Speed Flying  |
| Mirko Schmidt Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:50 AM PST  Mirko Schmidt May 06, 2011 Nationality: German Object Type: Earth Location: Chamonix, France COD: Impact/ low pull Clothes / Suit: Wingsuit Description: The below is an account of Mirko's fatality. Quote:
What we had planned:
An evening jump from cliff (Chamonix area).
8 jumpers on the hike / jump.
On the way up we discussed the possible lines we could fly.
Half way up, we stopped to check the options, and decided which line each of us would fly.
Three of us decided to fly the far left line over the paragliding start area. A camera was set up with my wife and Edo's girlfriend at this position.
All the jumpers decided to also fly the left line, but after the black ridge, turn right and fly some tree lines or gorges (This is a steeper, shorter and safer line which allows for some nice terrain flying).
After two hours we reached the exit point, where the weather conditions were great. No wind, just a light breeze and partially sunny.
We all got geared up and ready to jump, during which time Mirko mentioned that he was tired.
He was quiet, but this was more than likely due to the long hike we had made.
Despite this, he was very positive about the jump, gearing up quickly and in a happy manner – just being typical Mirko.
What we saw (facts):
From the exit point
Mirko jumped as the last jumper of a 3 way group.
His exit was good, leaving a longer separation between him and the jumper before him – this was to allow him to have nice clean exit in front of him.
His start was a bit slow, but nothing out of the ordinary, and gave us no cause for concern.
Mirko flew with decent speed until he disappeared from view behind the pillar on the left, just like all the other flyers of the 3 way group had done.
What the girls saw from the ground:
They saw the 3 way coming and at one point the last flyer turned to the right. They saw the flyer disappear behind the ridge.
After the first and second jumpers canopies opened, Mirko, nor his canopy could be seen.
After we landed we realized that Mirko was missing. Heli search & rescue was informed and the helicopter came very quickly to begin a search.
After a solid hour, they couldn't find him, so a ground search was started, organized by the Mountain police. They worked through the night, but still could not find Mirko.
At first light the next morning, the helicopter was again used to search from the air. They found his body and recovered him.
Mirko was found high up in the gorge saddle, before the tree line.
His canopy had been opened, lines were out of the tail pocket, stretched and the toggles were on the risers. The shrivel was pulled on the bridle, indicating that the canopy was not out due the impact, but that Mirko had attempted to deploy.
The area he was found in was impossible to see from the exit point.
The doctors confirmed he died from massive head trauma as a result of impacting with the wall at speed.
Although Mirko was wearing a camera, it was not found or recovered.
What we believe happened:
The left line requires a quick decision and reaction after turning at the pillar as the black ridge stands there like a fence.
If a jumper decides that he can't make it over the ridge, they must immediately make a right turn to avoid being over the trap.
It is possible that Mirko found himself lower than expected and took too long to decide if he could make it over the ridge or not.
By the time he had made the decision, his ability to fly the alternate line had gone and he would have found himself too close to the ground and wall, impacting during an attempted deployment.
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| Bryan Hirn Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:49 AM PST  Bryan Hirn June 6, 2011 Nationality: French Object Type: Earth Location: Dévoluy, Chateau de Cartes, France COD: Impact Wall Clothes / Suit: Wingsuit Description: After a Weekend on the spot with other wingsuiters, Bryan decided to enjoy the place alone for the whole week, living in his truck, saying that place was a wingsuit paradise. His body was recovered the next Saturday. According to forensics death occurred 5 days earlier. No witness. He was found at the bottom of the 1st "card" (in that line you fly proxy around peaks named "cards"), entangled in his lines, PC out. He seems to have pulled low in an emergency situation. bfl-footer footer BFL |
| Ted Rudd Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:47 AM PST  Ted Rudd June 13, 2011 Nationality: New Zealand Object Type: Earth Location: Sunndalssra (Hårstadnebba), Norway COD: Impact Wall Clothes / Suit: Tracking Suit Description: Jumping alone, tracking, fog on the upper part of the face. Was seen under canopy coming out of the upper valley without applying any inputs, spiraled into the next lower valley where he was found. Closing loop intact, Ted was found with the brakes still stowed (not released). Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/ted.rudd bfl-footer footer BFL |
| Rudolphe Climent Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:45 AM PST  Rudolphe Climent June 26, 2011 Nationality: French Object Type: Earth Location: La Mousse, Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland COD: Pilot-chute in tow Clothes / Suit: Tracking Suit Description: Account from best friend on the jump Quote:
"Rodolphe, 31 years old, was an experienced wingsuiter who knew every single spot in the valley. On this jump he was wearing a trackingsuit.
From the landing area, his 2 friends who had jumped before saw this:
Normal launch, he fell and tracked a short 6 seconds then pulled, high. But we saw no Pilot Chute coming out. We then supposed his PC was in tow and waited for deployment. Rodolphe began to wait too in boxing position, then he started to worry. He looked behind him, did a slight rollover, saw his PC collapsed and struggled hard to open it, modifying his body position in many ways. He impacted trees on his back with nothing out.
The bridle had entangled with the pilot chute, making a perfect knot."
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| Dave Cable Dave Karaffa Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:43 AM PST Dave "Cable Dave" Karaffa  Dave "Cable Dave" Karaffa July 7, 2011 Nationality: Czech republic Object Type: Earth Location: Via Ferrata, Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland COD: Impact Clothes / Suit: Wingsuit Description: first hand account from Vick Fearless We jumped a 2-way wingsuit from the Via Ferrata exit I was on the left side with a v4 he was on the right with an X-bird I jumped first so I did not know what happened later on witnesses told me that he had a good exit and after like 2 seconds he started to turn to the wall and he impacted the ledge under the exit on full speed the canopy came out on impact it gave me some hope because i did not see how it happened but when rescue reached him they told me he had no chance. New information: There seem to be a potential problem with asymmetric arm wing inflation on the early X-Birds versions. Many jumpers experienced unexpected turns just after exit. The size and location of the air inlet seem to be the major factor involved. There is a video of such incident here Cable Dave's last jump was looking similar in dynamics, it's highly suspected that his left wing experienced the same inflation issue. Given the distance he was from the first jumper, it's not yet possible to say if the turbulence of the first WS played a role or not in that inflation process, but it's very not likely to be the main factor. bfl-footer footer BFL  |
| Jeremy Graczyk Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:41 AM PST  Jeremy Graczyk July 12, 2011 Nationality: American Object Type: Earth Location: Mushroom Exit, Eiger Mountain, Kleine Scheide, Switzerland COD: Gear Malfunction (Canopy) Clothes / Suit: Tracking suit Description: Our friend Jeremy went up the Eiger to jump the Mushroom on a clear morning on the 12th of August. Both him and the other jumper accompanying had under 100 jumps, but were extremely heads up jumpers. They reached the mushroom quickly, Jeremy went last....more information to come. He did not over-delay. Jeremy was a highly decorated combat veteran of the United States Marine Corps, skilled big mountain climber, and a great friend...the best always go first...RIP dude update: Jeremy's canopy suffered from multiple line failure on opening. Multiple factor seems to be involved : high lines made of 400lb dacron, heavy jumper, full-speed-track pull. It brings the question of structural absolute needs for our sport. We have been pushing the limits, asking for lighter and lighter gear... BASE gear has been overbuilt from the beginning, and as users we are more and more neglecting gear maintenance and structural limitations. There's been case of slider-down opening at terminal velocity with only minor material damage - this was the way to go until we wanted to increase the performance. Light gear is great. But it has drawbacks. We have to learn a major aspect of modern gear through this tragic accident. Each jumper have to figure out what the gear is designed for and what are the limitations. Manufacturers should together define a minimal standard for structural strength that has to be respected, whatever the clients are asking for. We rely on a single canopy system - which has now a very low failure rate. We can not afford having underbuilt material appearing on the market just because of the new trend of lightweight and low volume gear. bfl-footer footer BFL  |
| Arne Aarset Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:40 AM PST  Arne Aarset July 18, 2011 Nationality: Norwegian Object Type: Earth Location: Romsdalhorn, Romsdalen, Norway COD: Low-Pull Clothes / Suit: Wingsuit Description: He had some problem finding his pilot chute his fingers were cold he said before the jump..but also to low when he start thinking pulling..His chute came out but to low. impact just after line stretch. bfl-footer footer BFL |
| Olivier Keud Labauve Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:39 AM PST  Olivier 'keud' Labauve August 14, 2011 Nationality: French Object Type: Earth Location: St. Julien Montdenis, France COD: TBD Clothes / Suit: Wingsuit Description: More information to come If you have any information for this fatality please get in contact with us.. Olivier Labauve. Nickname 'keud'. Experienced basejumper, was wearing a prodigy ws during the accident, weather ideal, no wind. bfl-footer footer BFL |
| Pete Certain Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:38 AM PST  Pete Certain September 3, 2011 Nationality: American Object Type: Span Location: Perrine bridge, Twin falls, Idaho, United States COD: possible low pull. Possible Bridle Hang Up Clothes / Suit: Normal clothes Description: Jumper has been reported doing multiple gainers and impacted the water with pilot chute out only. Pete was wearing a GoPro during the jump, but was not attached to his helmet when he was pulled into the rescue boat. Pete was BASE 683 bfl-footer footer BFL |
| Nico Mueller Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:37 AM PST  Nico Müller September 15, 2011 Nationality: German Object Type: Earth Location: Fisistock , Switzerland COD: Impact, No-Pull Clothes / Suit: Wingsuit Description: Wingsuit V3, The jumper in question was found within the forest impacted with no pull... coming from a jumper on the load who inspected the gear.. bfl-footer footer BFL |
| Valentina Rotar Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:35 AM PST  Valentina Rotar September 16, 2011 Nationality: Slovenian Object Type: Earth Location: High Nose, Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland COD: Low-Pull Clothes / Suit: Tracking Suit Description: Valentina jumped the high nose in her tracking suit, jumpers on the exit point recalled her having a stable exit but just did not get her track on,She impacted last ledge close to the talus. Because she pulled before the ledge, canopy opened and she hit it once or twice (ledge) and ended up on the talus. Jumpers should be aware that although High nose has been jumped by many people with intermediate tracking skills, this exit is classed as a wingsuit and experienced trackers only.Please be aware of your own abilities know how to track and pull at a safe altitude. bfl-footer footer BFL |
| Rob Kelly Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:24 AM PST  Rob Kelly October 15, 2011 Nationality: American Object Type: Earth Location: Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, France COD: Impact Clothes / Suit: Wingsuit Description: Rob was proximity flying on sloppy terrain and caught himself without an out. He impacted with no deployment. Rob had over 900 base jumps in ten years of experience. He was conservative as far as proximity flying goes. bfl-footer footer BFL |
| Antoine Montant Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:20 AM PST  Antoine Montant October 21, 2011 Nationality: French Object Type: Earth Location: Haute Savoie, France COD: Bridle Hang Up Clothes / Suit: Wingsuit Description: Antoine went for his 3rd wingsuit cliff jump to a very technical jump in the Sixt area involving flying a long turn and passing under power lines. His body was found dead on a ledge under the power lines, entangled in his bridle. He was flying a S-Bird. Given his lifestyle and accomplishments, it's hard to figure out why he decided to start wingsuiting on his own as he had many friends in the WS base-jumping scene. He was a top-level athlete, very experienced in many aerial sports and has been managing risks in remote alpine environment for years. He will be greatly missed here, but we can be pretty sure that he's now inventing new sports with his brother up there in the sky. Quote:
Antoine was one of the most accomplished athletes in his sport. Born into a family of sportsmen, Antoine grew up in the wide open country between the Lake Geneva and the Alps, and learned to ski from the moment he could walk. He soon got a taste of the wealth of outdoor activities that such an open environment offered.
Antoine was just nine years old when his older brother, Valéry, an experienced hang-gliding and paragliding pilot and a pioneer in speed riding who was killed in an accident in 2006, introduced him to paragliding. He instantly caught the bug and soon became an experienced pilot. After becoming a certified instructor in skiing and paragliding, his love of the mountains and his insatiable appetite for thrills led him to the top of these two sports.
What he loved most of all was to be in the mountains, climbing up the slopes ready to make his descent by whatever means available: extreme skiing, base jumping or speed riding.
His talent was matched only by his imagination for ways to get back down to the valley floor. Even though he achieved some amazing feats, Antoine's exploits in alpine skiing were not widely known. But unlike many extreme skiing purists, Antoine was first and foremost an inventor. He liked finding unlikely routes and blending types.
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| Holly Brittsan Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:18 AM PST  Holly Brittsan November 15, 2011 Nationality: American Object Type: Earth Location: Rock Canyon - lower exit, Utah COD: Impact / Hard landing Clothes / Suit: Normal clothes Description: Holly was BASE #1367 This is the only account of the incident as Holly was jumping alone. external witness report from The Salt Lake Tribune
Quote:
I was hiking in the canyon and saw her fall. I heard the sound of her parachute opening. Her parachute appeared to open all the way but unfortunately not in time to avoid a fairly hard landing. She rolled and slid about 20 feet down a steep slope before coming to a stop. There was no movement for a few minutes but then I saw her sit up and then lay back down again. Rescuers arrived in the canyon in just a few minutes and it took another 15 minutes or so to hike to where she was. A biker had already hiked up to her while I directed the rescue crew to the right spot. When the biker came back down, he said she was breathing but couldn't get a response from her. The rescue crew performed CPR but were unsuccessful. The most frustrating part was that she came so close to making a good jump. Her chute was open but she was about 3/4 of the way down when it did. She needed just a few more feet. It did seem to me to be a rather short cliff to make such a jump but I have no experience. The margin for error seemed to be very small.
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| Alexander Shpank Vtyurin Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:17 AM PST  Alexander "Shpank" Vtyurin February 26, 2012 8:00AM Nationality: Russian Object Type: Antenna (90 metres) Location: Beliy Gorodok, Tverska district, Russia COD: Impact / Nothing out Clothes / Suit: Normal clothes Description: Alex was not well rested, had only a few hours of sleep. He had winter closing on him, which made reaching PC more difficult. He already had problems with reaching his PC in that jacket before once, but got lucky that time. Perfect weather conditions, solid exit. He made 4 attempts to find his PC, hit the ground during the fifth in stable box position, no panic. His PC was found half a meter next to him on the ground, probably thrown out from impact. Lessons: Rest up, go hand held below 100 meters, especially if you have difficulty reaching your PC. And if you must go stowed, don't stow it all the way, leave some to grab it more easily. bfl-footer footer BFL |
| Sergio de Oliveira Costa Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:16 AM PST  Sergio de Oliveira Costa February 26, 2012 Nationality: Brazilian Object Type: Earth Location: Montserrat (Aeri Cliff), Spain COD: Low-Pull / Impact Clothes / Suit: Tracking suit Description: The jump was a slider up tracking jump. This wall has a ledge at about 8 secs which you cannot out-track, recommended free-fall time is around 5 secs. The jump was a 2-way, Sergio went first. This was his 2nd jump from this cliff within a few days. Sergio had a slightly unstable exit which turned his body to the right. According to pics taken in free-fall by the jumper behind him he stayed in this position for several seconds before slowly recovering to a straight position and then started to track. He deployed his canopy at about 7 secs and impacted the ledge during the opening of the canopy. The canopy did fully inflate but never really started to fly, he impacted the ledge several times before coming to a stop. Emergency service was called immediately by witnesses on the ground and a helicopter arrived about 30 mins later but the doctor who was dropped could only determine the death of the jumper. His injuries confirm a high-speed impact, he died immediately. Our thoughts and good vibrations are with his family, his wife and his son bfl-footer footer BFL  |
| Carlos de la Fuente Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:15 AM PST  Carlos de la Fuente March 30, 2012 Nationality: Spanish Object Type: Earth Location: High Nose, Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland COD: off heading / Strike (Canopy) Clothes / Suit: Normal clothes Description: Report: Jumper is reportedly to have between 20-50 base jumps... Not enough distance from high nose, off heading and impacted wall.. Jumpers should be aware that although High nose has been jumped by many people with intermediate tracking skills, this exit is classed as a wingsuit and experienced trackers only. Please be aware of your own abilities know how to track and pull at a safe altitude. bfl-footer footer BFL |
| Markus Wyler Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:14 AM PST  Markus Wyler May 19, 2012 Nationality: Swiss Object Type: Earth Location:Via Ferrata, Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland COD: No pull Clothes / Suit: Wingsuit Description: Unstable at pull time , He is a very experienced base jumper and was a leader in the valley for keeping good relations between the base jumpers , media and locals also is part of the Swiss Base Association (SBA), Numerous jumpers have said that he is the most meticulous and safety conscious Jumper they have ever come across and is a huge shock to the jumping commmunity in switerland.. Quote:
update from Mäthu / SBA
So, here is what happened:
Markus jumped the Via Ferrata alone in late afternoon and in calm conditions, no turbulence. He was flying his Apache that he had been using for quite a while already. He felt comfortable in the suit - that's what he told me on several occasions during the weeks/mon[FOOTNOTE][/FOOTNOTE]ths before the accident.
A credible eye witness saw Markus flying left after the exit along the wall towards Lauterbrunnen. He was flying stable and with a very impressive glide. At about two thirds of the way to the waterfall and still very high up he initiated a right turn to separate from the wall. After about 70-80 degrees and while still turning he suddenly went steep, respectively nosedived, which resulted in an abrupt "frontflip". The exact kind of flip/rotation and in which position he came out of it cannot be said with enough certainty. After this flip he could have recovered easily as he was still very high. Instead he was tumbling towards the ground as if he was unconscious: no trying to recover, no struggling, no flat-spinn, nothing, just falling like a stone with flapping fabric on it. This tumbling part of the flight was also seen be another witness. Moreover, the coroner mentioned that the body was "unusually relaxed" and not stiff like other bodies of basejumpers that he had treated, supporting the presumption that Markus was unconscious. Markus impacted the field west of the bridge near the waterfall with nothing out and died instantly. We inspected his gear and it is obvious that the pilot chute was still in the BOC when he impacted. Everything on the gear looked okay, including the wingsuit.
What caused the abrupt nosedive resulting in a flip we will never know exactly. Our assumptions are:
1) Markus suffered a sudden health problem, be it a heart attack, a stroke or just a momentary black out.
2) The wingsuit stalled during the turn, went into an aggressive nosedive and with a resulting negative AoA flipped Markus abruptly, rendering him unconscious. This theory could be backed by the fact that Markus' flightpath was considered "very high", meaning he must have been close to stall speed on the polar curve, invariably leading to the danger of a dynamic stall while turning. Additionally, by design a large wingsuit such as the Apache is more prone to radical stall behaviour.
That is all we could find out.
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| Jake Simkins Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:13 AM PST  Jake Simkins June 11, 2012 Nationality: British Object Type: Cliff Location: Zakynthos, Greece COD: Strike (Canopy), fall / impact Clothes / Suit: Normal clothes Description: Jumper reportedly jumped alone, had an offheading and being hung up on wall, after beach goers called out he told them he is ok but injured, After 30 mins hanging on wall the canopy dislodged and he fell up to 60 metres to the floor below killing him instantly.. Jumper was reported to not have enough experience jumping slider down .. Know your limits (Once again another jumper has died because of not knowing his limits) unconfirmed report: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18396623 Attachment 1610 bfl-footer footer BFL |
| Herve Le Gallou Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:12 AM PST  Hervé Le Gallou June 23, 2012 Nationality:French Object Type: Earth Location: Obiou Mountains , France COD: impact Clothes / Suit: Wingsuit Description: More Information to come Quote:
Following your request, here is the data (strictly technical) on this fatality, this is partly a translation of what I have posted on the french forum :
(I jumped a few minutes before Hervé and hiked back to where he impacted afterwards)
We found no eye witness of the accident.
From this exit you can pass a ridge on your right, then depending on performance you can either fly to the left in two different valleys, or keep flying to the right and try to pass a grassy, flat and long plateau further away and join another valley. If performance is finally not good enough to pass this plateau, you have time to pull and land there.
According to jumpers at the exit, Hervé's flight was very performing, he was high above the first ridge on the right. Consequently he was in a good position to try to clear the plateau. What we suppose is that his performance dropped in the second ! part of his flight (it happened to him sometimes) and that he couldn't pass the plateau.
His canopy was retrieved with slider still attached and brakes stowed, due to lack of eye witness we don't know if the impact made the canopy come out of container or if the impact occured at the beginning of opening sequence. So we don't know what exactly happened : no pull / late pull / failed attempt to pull / other malfunction.
The only sure thing, considering the impact location, is that it wasn't a failed proximity attempt.
You may post this on the US forum if you like. To contact me, please use this email, I'm not a frequent user of the french forum.
Attached is a picture of Hervé, that's the most recent I could find.
Arnaud
http://www.ledauphine.com/actualite/...A-495120334A94 bfl-footer footer BFL  |
| Andre G Sementile Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:11 AM PST  Andre G Sementile July 18, 2012 Nationality: Brazilian Object Type: Earth Location: Labben – Stabbe Wall (Trollveggen), Romsdalen, Norway COD: Impact Wall Clothes / Suit: Wingsuit Description: Jumper Impacted wall after a few seconds from exit point... Exit, turns left hit cliff after 4 seconds in freefall, canopy opens after impact and he comes to rest in the upper talus at Stabben wall. i do not where they exited exactly, but think the exit name is Labben next to stabben. I think he had the Venom wingsuit, but not sure. More information to come. bfl-footer footer BFL |
| Fabrice Rieu Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:04 AM PST  Fabrice Rieu September 9, 2011 Nationality: French Object Type: Earth Location: Varan (Sallanches) COD: Impact Ledge Clothes / Suit: Wingsuit Description: Fabrice had 150 base jumps (mostly earth), 50 wingsuit base jumps (25 prodigy + 25 Firebird , Phantom). Started Base in 2009. "we decided to go to Varan arrow to jump this big wingsuit flight. Weather report was great, sunny and no wind. We wanted to do it the days before but it was too windy in altitude (exit is around 2500m). It was his 8th jump of the week. We arrived around 10:30am at the exit, perfect conditions, no wind. We found the exit as described in the topography map as it had a canne in place. Fabrice saw a pillar on the very far right side of the exit and decided to go and see. He told me "I am going to see and come back if not good". I stayed on the normal exit, with a very bad feeling inside. We have done some more technical jumps, and this one was normal ok for us. When he arrived at the top of the pillar he said to me it was good and he was going to get prepared. I will prefer to go down but I prepared to jump as well (I was flying Xbird). Fabrice went first as he liked to jump first. I saw the beginning of his jump, normal without problem. He passed behind the corner of the wall, and I heard a big noise (as canopy opening) then a second very loud noise.. He was found by rescue paramedics 15 mins later lying down on a ledge as in flying position, canopy over him, lines out of tailpocket . Impacted ledge on line stretch... It is a big loss for all of us but mainly for his wife Michèle and his family. Jérôme Update: The rock drop in Varan is 7", and 200m rock drop is severe technical, non adapt and dangerous for beginners Please if anyone can learn from this fatality it is to jump within your limits... Dont push so fast to be jumping technical sites, take the time to understand everything before progressing to the next exit/wingsuit/jump or even object.. bfl-footer footer BFL  |
