NickDG 23 #1 July 31, 2005 http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2005/07/31/news_localstate/news_local_state.2.txt BASE jumper injured in fall By Karin Kowalski Times-News writer TWIN FALLS -- A BASE jumper was injured Saturday afternoon after her parachute failed to open, according to emergency dispatchers. Rescuers responded to the call about 3 p.m. when a 31-year-old woman fell onto the Snake River Canyon wall from the Perrine Bridge. The woman had two broken legs, but was conscious and breathing, according to dispatchers. BASE stands for bridge, antenna, span and earth. The 486-foot-high Perrine Bridge is the only one in the country that permits BASE jumping year-round. More detailed information about the accident was unavailable at press time Saturday. Two BASE jumpers have died jumping from the Perrine Bridge: Brian Stout in 2002 and Jason Corcoran in 2003. Another BASE jumper, Roger Butler, died in 2000 jumping from the Hansen Bridge. His chute deployed but he landed in the Snake River and drowned. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomAiello 26 #2 July 31, 2005 This is pretty bad journalism. The total extent of the jumpers injuries was one small chip in one leg bone, plus a laceration on the other leg. The jumper was stitched up, the bone was stable, and the jumper was held overnight at Magic Valley for observation. I'm a little stunned at the poor quality of the reporting. Technical details of the jump: The jump was a tard-over in exit headwind of approximately 7 mph. There were around 12 other jumpers on the load, around half of them had already exited and were at the bottom when this accident occured. The jumper experienced a 180 off heading, and some line twists. She was able to kick out of the line twists, but at that point was very low and had to land out (across the river). She was retrieved by the boat, brought into the dock, and removed by ambulance to MVRMC. My report is mostly first hand (I was approximately 4 feet behind the jumper when she exited, and arrived at the dock shortly after the boat). I think I may call the paper today, and see what they have to say for themselves.-- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nicrussell 0 #3 July 31, 2005 Quote I think I may call the paper today, and see what they have to say for themselves. Absolutly!! They need to be held accountable for this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pope 0 #4 July 31, 2005 Quote Quote I think I may call the paper today, and see what they have to say for themselves. Absolutly!! They need to be held accountable for this. Not likely. I hope they are though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dploi 0 #5 August 1, 2005 If your parachute did not open after jumping from said object, and you only broke your legs, this article would be about a miracle, not a mishap. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nicknitro71 0 #6 August 1, 2005 Tom, Do you know why the 180 and line twist?Memento Audere Semper 903 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomAiello 26 #7 August 1, 2005 Why? I'm not sure we can ever definitely say what the cause was. On the video, the canopy twists 180 while the jumper and canopy are still in free fall, prior to inflation. It also appears that the right toggle fires immediately upon inflation (so it might have been dislodged earlier).-- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomAiello 26 #8 August 1, 2005 http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2005/08/01/news_localstate/news_local_state.6.txt Quote Few details emerge about BASE jumper injury TWIN FALLS - Few details were available Sunday about a 31-year-old BASE jumper who got hurt Saturday afternoon while jumping from the Perrine Bridge. Emergency dispatchers sent out the call about 3 p.m. Saturday. "She jumped off the bridge and part of her parachute got tangled up," said Staff Sgt. Perry Barnhill with the Twin Falls County Sheriff's Department, who was at the scene. "She obviously landed a lot harder than she was supposed to." She was taken to the hospital, he said, but no report will be filed and he did not know the woman's name. Barnhill said she appeared to have a broken ankle and severe cuts on her legs. "She was tough," he said. "Tougher than I would have been."-- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nicknitro71 0 #9 August 1, 2005 Tom, if you dom't mind: Was she jumping slider up or down? If up what kind of slider? If down, tailgate? Also, Did she land hard because she did not have time to flare? Thanks!Memento Audere Semper 903 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomAiello 26 #10 August 1, 2005 She was slider down. I believe the canopy was tailgated, both from the inflation video, and because I collected the gear after the accident and there was a tailgate in place (although, of course not closed) at that time. I didn't see the landing (she had passed under the bridge and landed on the other side, so no one at the exit point saw the landing). Jumpers in the boat reported that she had very little time to flare (she finished clearing the twists just prior to landing). She had also lost one toggle. This jumper was wearing light running shoes and shorts. I suspect that boots and knee/shinguards would have pretty much turned this into a "land hard and walk away" situation.-- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pBASEtobe 0 #11 August 1, 2005 Did they come out with this second story because you called them and talked to them about their bad reporting the first time? Or did they just do it themselves? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomAiello 26 #12 August 1, 2005 I did call them, but I suspect the second story was not because of that. I'd say they probably realized themselves that they had exaggerated things a bit.-- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomAiello 26 #13 August 2, 2005 Great. Now, based on this story, we've got a local TV station wanting to run a story on BASE "safety precautions and injuries." Joy, joy.-- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lifewithoutanet 0 #14 August 2, 2005 How about they start with a story on "The Inaccuracies of Sensationalist Journalism" first? Wankers. -C. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomAiello 26 #15 August 2, 2005 Yeah. The TV reporter called me and started in with "I heard there was a major accident out there this weekend, and..."-- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lifewithoutanet 0 #16 August 2, 2005 Well, it could be a chance to set some records and rumors straight as to number of jumps/injury, fatalities (like the local this weekend who assured me there'd been a fatality at a 'contest' held in TF last year), and the ever popular "parachute didn't open" theories. -C. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DexterBase 1 #17 August 2, 2005 After some intensive video review, here's my take on what happened. * Jumper is doing a Tard-over jump with the canopy in one hand, and the lines in the other hand. * Jumper exits and the canopy completes a complete 180 degree turn (clockwise from exit point perspective)before linestretch and bottom skin inflation. * Simultaneously, the jumper turns counter clockwise in freefall and is facing 90 degrees to the left at linestretch. * At linestretch, the total 270 degree twist is further compounded by the right toggle firing while the canopy is pressurizing. * When the canopy is inflating, the jumper has a full 360 degree twist with the right toggle fired. (The canopy is flying 180 degrees off heading) As the canopy completes inflation, the twist is continuing.(The canopy is now flying under the bridge) * During the final phase of pressurization, since the right side of the canopy tail is inverted and not held down by the control lines, the left side of the canopy drives past creating a heading slightly to the right. This puts the jumper on a course for the north wall. * It looks on the video that if the toggle had not fired, the jumper may have flown over the river and not hit the wall. At this point, the jumper flies out of view and I can't see what occured after this point. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GeordieSkydiver 0 #18 August 2, 2005 Quote * Jumper is doing a Tard-over jump Can you clarify this for us 'not yet BASE jumpers' please? What is it?Lee _______________________________ In a world full of people, only some want to fly, is that not crazy? http://www.ukskydiver.co.uk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomAiello 26 #19 August 2, 2005 A TARD-over is an unpacked jump. You hold the canopy (pretty much propacked) in your hand(s), not in any kind of container. Then you perform a front flip over the canopy. As you fall away (past the canopy), you reach line stretch and the canopy inflates. This is a variation on the TARD (a similar jump, but without the front flip--you loft the canopy up and drop off underneath it). I've seen TARDs and TARD-overs done with the canopy and lines in the same hand, as well as with the canopy in one hand and the lines in the other. I personally prefer using both hands when possible (which is the style the jumper used in this case), but it is much easier to do this with some kind of stable launch platform (which was also present in this case), so when people are doing them from outside the handrail with no exit platform, they sometimes opt for the "canopy and lines in one hand" style TARD. TARD is an acronym for "Totally Awesome Rapid Deployment". The TARD varies from the WAD ("Wild Ass Deployment") in that the TARD canopy is loose and hanging, where the WAD canopy is essentially packed into the jumpers hand(s).-- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GeordieSkydiver 0 #20 August 2, 2005 Thanks Tom, I'm not sure, is there a similar exit called a 'Mconkey'? Or is that a brit thing? (excuse my ignorance, trying to learn...)Lee _______________________________ In a world full of people, only some want to fly, is that not crazy? http://www.ukskydiver.co.uk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomAiello 26 #21 August 2, 2005 Quote * It looks on the video that if the toggle had not fired, the jumper may have flown over the river and not hit the wall. According to jumpers on the boat, she didn't actually hit the wall. She missed the outcropping and landed on steep, loose talus below it. I'm unclear on if this was by chance or as a result of steering input just after clearing the twists. I do know that the blood stains on the talus began about 15 feet above the point where I collected the gear, which was about 35 feet below the wall. This is circumstantial evidence that her slide started on the talus slope, rather than on the wall above.-- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomAiello 26 #22 August 2, 2005 The McConkey, or Rollover, is done with the canopy already at line stretch, hanging below the jumper. In practice, it's tended to have a lower malfunction and off heading rate than the TARD, likely because the canopy is already at line stretch (and the majority of off headings develop while the canopy is moving to line stretch). This maneuver was first done by paragliders (there's a web page with photos somewhere, maybe someone can dig it up). I was the second person in my area to do this with a BASE canopy, and at that time I posted some photos on the internet, christening the maneuver "The McConkey" for Shane McConkey, the first kid on my block to do it. The name has stuck to some extent.-- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cornishe 0 #23 August 2, 2005 Here's a terribly drawn example for you! [See attached image] .Abbie Mashaal Skydive Idaho Snake River Skydiving TandemBASE Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GeordieSkydiver 0 #24 August 2, 2005 Thanks guys...Lee _______________________________ In a world full of people, only some want to fly, is that not crazy? http://www.ukskydiver.co.uk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dploi 0 #25 August 2, 2005 There is a TARDover (aka McTARDy) near the end of this video: http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=1619 It happens up in the top left of the screen, at the same time as a freefall assist (chain). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
