Reasons behind deaths of BASE jumpers still unclear
fresno, calif. » World- famous wingsuit flier Dean Potter had strapped his iPhone to the back of his head and hit record before jumping from a cliff in Yosemite National Park in what was to be an exhilarating flight through a Vshaped rocky formation — a route that left little margin for error.
Potter set the phone at this position to capture a video of his partner, Graham Hunt, behind and above him as the pair leaped off the granite diving board at Taft Point, 3,500 feet above the valley.
Twenty- two seconds later, the video abruptly stops. The two were killed when they slammed into the ridgeline at 100 mph- plus attempting to soar through the notch in the rock formation called Lost Brother.
Through a records request, The Associated Press obtained investigation reports about the deadly flight on May 16. National Park Service investigators relied heavily on Potter’s bashed iPhone, interviews and a series of rapid- fire photos taken by Potter’s girlfriend, JenRapp, who stayed behind at the launch site as the spotter.
The investigation concluded the deaths were accidental, but despite the video and photos of the jump, officials consider the specific reason why they died a mystery. Investigators listed several possible contributing factors — including indecision, distraction, miscalculation and air turbulence — as the jumpers made split- second decisions.
Potter, 43, and Hunt, 29, were both experienced in the extreme sport of wingsuit flying, a dangerous offshoot of BASE jumping — an acronym for parachuting off buildings, antennas, spans such as bridges and Earth. They would glide frighteningly close to cliffs and trees, wearing the suits that have fabric stitched between the arms and body and between the legs so jumpers spreading their limbs can stay aloft longer and control their path with subtle bodymovements.
In 2009, Potter made the longest knownBASE jump— off the EigerNorth Face in Switzerland. He remained in flight for 2minutes and 50 seconds, earning him National Geographic’s Adventurer of the Year title.
Autopsies found that Potter had struck head- first and that Hunt hit with the front of his body. Blood samples showed no drugs or alcohol for either man.
Investigators say Rapp’s still photos show Hunt flying left, then right, then left and a final hard banking right before his impact.