CA - 73-year-old California base jumper dies in Idaho

[zwiebel]

73-year-old Claremont, California base ( buildings, antennas, spans and earth) jumper James Hickey has died after his parachute opened 'too low and too late' during a jump off the Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls, Idaho.

His friend Tom Aiello said Hickey had made over 1,000 jumps since taking up the sport.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/09/us/base-jumper-killed-in-idaho/index.html

 

[zwiebel]

Further details about the death of James Hickey have emerged, showing that his death was not caused by the failure of his parachute to open, as originally thought. Video shot at the time shows he deliberately set fire to his parachute before jumping, in a stunt gone wrong. It's reported that he had successfully performed the same stunt before.

http://www.9news.com.au/world/2015/...-as-he-plummeted-to-death#Phe1yrgRC4FUuqwK.99