Fatal Tube Jump at Quincy Ill.

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Fatal Tube Jumping at Quincy, 2001-08-17 15:38
By Ken, viewed 40 times.
Mauricio Zorzan of Chestnut Hills, Mass., an experienced skydiver with more than 450 jumps to his credit, was pronounced dead at 3:38 p.m. August 11 at Blessing Hospital, according to Layla Parker, public relations coordinator for the World Freefall Convention at Quincy Regional Airport. Zorzan's death was the 11th in the 12-year history of the event, but the first since 1999. Parker said Zorzan was attempting a freefly skydive. She said Zorzan jumped head first and was holding a tube of fabric, a popular skydiving accessory that Parker said "just looks pretty." Parker said the tube wrapped around Zorzan's arm and became entangled in his main parachute lines. He unsuccessfully tried to cut away the main chute and
deploy his reserve chute, she said.

This is from "WWW.Headdown.net"
Found some more:Skydiver plunges to death: Free Fall officials blame death of Massachusetts
man on 'pilot error'
Posted Saturday, August 11, 2001 by Webmaster
By Jamie Busen-Mitchell
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
A 32-year-old skydiver became the first fatality at the World Free Fall
Convention in two years when a tube of fabric became entangled in his
parachute lines Friday afternoon at Quincy Regional Airport.
Mauricio Zorzan of Chestnut Hills, Mass., an experienced skydiver with more
than 450 jumps to his credit, was pronounced dead at 3:38 p.m. at Blessing
Hospital, according to Layla Parker, public relations coordinator for the
WFFC.
Zorzan's death was the 11th in the 12-year history of the event, but the
first since 1999.
Parker said Zorzan was attempting a freefly skydive. She said Zorzan jumped
head first and was holding a tube of fabric, a popular skydiving accessory
that Parker said "just looks pretty."
Parker said the tube wrapped around Zorzan's arm and became entangled in his
main parachute lines. He unsuccessfully tried to cut away the main chute and
deploy his reserve chute, she said.
When the reserve chute finally deployed, Parker said the two chutes and tube
of fabric became entangled, sending Zorzan on a deadly spiral to the ground.
Parker said Zorzan hit the ground north of the Plainville blacktop at about
2:50 p.m.
Spectators and a group of people jumping with Zorzan notified authorities,
Parker said.
Parker said Zorzan had no pulse and was "unresponsive" when emergency
medical personnel stationed at the airport reached him. He was rushed to
Blessing Hospital by ambulance, where he was pronounced dead.
"The accident was due to pilot error ... and when I say pilot, I mean the
skydiver," Parker said. "He had good equipment."
Parker said the accident saddened skydivers.
"Unfortunately, it's part of the sport, and the skydiving here will
continue," she said.
Zorzan was born in Brazil. He had earned a USPAD D license, the highest a
skydiver can achieve.
The ambulance on duty at the WFFC and the WFFC response medical team
assisted at the scene.
"I've got pieces of corn in my crap bigger than him" -Fat Bastard
Clay

[PhreeZone 20]

This post is not entirely correct... from video evidence he switch the tube from his left hand to his right hand to fight the line twists and entanglement. Then he switched back to cutaway and deploy the reserve. Only at that point did he make any motion about letting go of the tube. The video showed he held on to the tube for too long. He was jumping a borrowed tube and it appears did not want to lose it by cutting it away. This mistake cost a jumper his life... Please lets repriortize here folks... Is it worth dieing just to prevent losing a tube or raft? Nope... if it starts to get dangerous forget about it and let it go.
To qualify this responce let me say that this year I've got 4 tube jumps and 13 raft jumps. The tube jumps still scare the living daylights out of me and I'm changing my deployment procedures based on this incident. I'm also changing the handle on the tube so it cant wrap around anything. I'm chopping the tube at 4000 and tracking till 3500 and watching where the tube lands. I'd rather walk aways to get it rather then having it end my skydiving career...
Do I HAVE to do another raft dive???

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