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| -Short Attention Span Theater- | |||
| Pioneering jumper dies after parachute failure | |||
| 2006-10-23 | |||
Schubert, from Alta Loma, California, had been well known in the sport of Base jumping since 1966, when he and a friend became the first people to jump from El Capitan, a 3,000 ft tall rock formation in Yosemite National Park in California. The sport's acronym stands for the places jumpers usually leap from: buildings, antennae, spans and earth. The fatality is the first since 1987 at Bridge Day, a popular event that typically draws an estimated 100,000 spectators and about 400 parachutists to the southern part of the state. To qualify to jump off the bridge, applicants must have skydived at least 50 times. Jumping at the festival was allowed to go on after Schubert's body was recovered and taken to a funeral home. "No measurable winds or anything would appear to have contributed to adverse conditions making this any more dangerous than Base jumping would ordinarily be," Mr Laird said. Mathis Reimann, who jumped within an hour after the accident, said that Schubert's death made him think about safety. "It's a dangerous sport and makes it clear you really have to be careful," he said.
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| Posted by:Steve White |
| #15 Saw the vid. The chute opened but not fully, so he hit the water at a lower velocity than he would have otherwise. Reporter said he survived the impact and was able to move his arms and legs and would be okay. Apparently not the case. A painful way to go. |
| Posted by: Floluter Phemp9244 2006-10-23 22:52 |
| #14 Lol, AP! The perspective of the professional, lol. |
| Posted by: .com 2006-10-23 22:43 |
| #13 The earth just came up and smote him. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2006-10-23 22:23 |
| #12 If it *was* a suicide, shame on him. The WV Bridge Festival is a great party and a magnificent event. His death will inevitably change it for the worse. That being said, I met some BASE jumpers at (a different) party one time; they all had long lists of friends who had died doing stunts. One described jumping off the Petronas Towers and landing in a puddle of his buddy's blood. Ugh. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2006-10-23 15:01 |
| #11 If you think aviation is an unforgiving sport ... |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-10-23 14:59 |
| #10 More info: A pioneer of Base jumping, where parachutists leap from fixed objects rather than aircraft, has died making what is thought to have been his first parachute jump in decades. Brian Lee Schubert, who lived most of his life as a quiet, unremarkable policeman in Pomona, California, wrote his name into the short, dangerous history of Base jumping in 1966, when as 26-year-old truck driver he leapt with a friend from El Capitan, a 3,000ft (900m) tall rock in CaliforniaÂ’s Yosemite National Park. In the first known Base jump (Base stands for "Buildings, Antennae, Spans and Earth"), Schubert, an experienced Army parachutist, was swept back against the rockface and broke a leg and a foot. His partner, Mike Pelkey, was also buffetted against the rock, breaking his ankle. But both survived, and became shadowy legends in a sport that found a wider audience and celebrity a full 20 years later as parachute technology improved the chances of survival from short falls. Although their names are widely known in the sport, Schubert and Pelkey were rarely seen at Base jumping events and The Los Angeles Times reported today that Schubert had not made a jump for decades. Lew Whitener, a photographer covering the jump for a local newspaper, said Schubert dropped from the bridge but did not open his parachute until he was 25ft above the water. He died on impact, according to emergency personnel at the scene. Jean Boenish, the wife of Carl Boenish, and a former safety director at the event, said Schubert had done just one day of practice: "I would not have let this man jump... I told him I didn't think he was ready. He would have nothing to do with me after that." Maybe he froze, or might have been a suicide. |
| Posted by: Steve 2006-10-23 12:13 |
| #9 Gravity, why does it hate us ? Gravity doesn't hate us, it just loves us too much. |
| Posted by: Steve 2006-10-23 12:01 |
| #8 What will their next thrill be? How about parachuting into a skeet range dressed as a large orange disk? Lol. Aim for the little dangly thingy underneath. |
| Posted by: .com 2006-10-23 11:28 |
| #7 There's old jumpers and bold jumpers. But there's not old, bold jumpers. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-10-23 11:28 |
| #6 Base Jumping: Darwin's way of getting the 'extreme' kooks out of the gene pool. What will their next thrill be? How about parachuting into a skeet range dressed as a large orange disk? Hmmm, I might enjoy that...on the ground with a 12 gauge. "PULL!" "Arrrggggghhhh-" *BLAM* Liberalism: Just say "AarrghaarrghpleeassennononoUGH!" |
| Posted by: Silentbrick 2006-10-23 11:25 |
| #5 Gromky, there's medication available for your problem. LOL |
| Posted by: Slaviger Angomong7708 2006-10-23 10:32 |
| #4 Gravity, why does it hate us ? |
| Posted by: wxjames 2006-10-23 07:49 |
| #3 Uh, JosephMendiola agrees with me? Maybe I'm going insane and not even realizing it...why didn't anyone say anything? |
| Posted by: gromky 2006-10-23 05:20 |
| #2 Agree wid GROMKY > OWG + Socialism NOw, D *** It, just as the Milyuuhn-earth-sized Sun is refusing to obey singular tiny Earth-Sized Earth, working parachutes + bridges are refusing to unilaterally do anything extra to protect human lives from themselves. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2006-10-23 03:02 |
| #1 "Parachute failure"? The parachute was fine - the person attached to it just pulled the cord too late. These folks make a great show of waiting as long as possible before opening the parachute. Pulling the tiger's tail isn't a great way to live to an old age. |
| Posted by: gromky 2006-10-23 02:49 |