From: jan@stout.atd.ucar.edu (Jan Stewart)
Subject: fatality at Eloy
Organization: Atmospheric Technology Division/NCAR Boulder, CO
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 21:54:47 GMT

From jan@athena.esig.ucar.EDU Wed Jan  6 14:53:40 1993
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Date: Wed, 6 Jan 93 14:50:48 MST
From: jan@athena.esig.ucar.EDU (Jan Stewart)
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>From uunet!s1!apsc.com!BFINLEY@ncar.UCAR.EDU Wed Jan  6 14:31:59 1993
To: jan@ncar.ucar.edu
Subject: swiss freestylist going in.
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Jan, please post this.

Hope everyone had a good time in Eloy!  I know I did.  The weather was up and
down, but for the most part jumpable.  The new year's dive (my second night
dive) was heaven (thanks for the kiss pass D.Jan.)

I nearly got to go as second videographer on a 50-way, but I made the mistake
of standing around in my JJ suit (great suit!) during the dirt dive and some of
the more elitist staffers encouraged George (staffer/Tandem Master) to drop me
since I only have 149 jumps and 15 camera jumps.  Oh well, next year.

Unfortunately, there was a tragic, unneccessary death during the week.  Before
this story gets rumored into fiction, Here are all the facts that I have
gathered through conversation to her photographer (Mike McGowan), a site
witness (Tandem Master/staffer Ron Green), and Wayne the Rigger who saw the
video.

Basically, Mike was filming this Swiss freestylist and realized the ground was
rushing up at him.  He dumped and turned (breaking the camera lens with risers
as he deployed).  His canopy ride was 15-20 seconds long.  Apparently she
dumped, too.  Ron said that the bag was out of the container, but the canopy
was not yet out of the bag.  Her altimeter read 1400 meters (4500 feet), but
could have been broken on impact.  The video allegedly showed that she never
once paused her routine to read her altimeter.  I don't know if she had a
dytter.

We nearly lost Mike McGowan in this incident.  I don't know what possesses
someone to be such a perfectionist in performing a routine that they forget
their number one job in the air.  If you are a freestylist, please wear a
dytter (or two) and learn something from this incident.  I'd hate to see this
one repeated.

Blue skies,

Brent  B-15350 (soon to be C-xxxxx as soon as they send it)

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