BASE jumper fatally plunges 700 feet after wingsuit failure in Utah

A 27-year-old BASE jumper died Sunday after his wingsuit failed when he launched from a 700-foot perch in Utah, authorities said.

The man, whose identity was withheld until his family could be notified, fatally plunged from a mountainous area of Hyrum, Utah, east of Millville Canyon and east of the small city of Millville, Cache County Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Doyle Peck said.

Search-and-rescue crews were called to Leetham’s Hollow, an area of canyon walls and cliffs not unlike the Grand Canyon’s, at 9:10 a.m. Sunday and declared the man dead at the scene, Peck said in a statement.

“On today’s jump, something went wrong and he did not have enough lift with his wingsuit,” Peck said. “He impacted the ground at a high rate of speed resulting in his death.”

The man was “experienced in this type of activity” and was part of a group of as many as 10 people who appeared to be engaged in wingsuit-aided BASE jumping, according to Peck.

The area, about 45 miles north of Ogden, is popular with BASE jumpers, he said.

A medical transport helicopter sent to help with the initial search transported the man’s body, Peck said.

Before Sunday, 541 deaths around…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/