8
BASE seasons
715
BASE jumps
—
WS BASE jumps
500
Skydives
—
WS skydives
Incident
- Incident category:
- BASE Fatality
- ID:
- BFL363
- Object:
- Earth
- Cause of death:
- Impact in terminal freefall
- Date:
- 15. 12. 2018
- Time:
- 14:00
- Exit point:
-
Switzerland › Walenstadt › Sputnik
Other incidents at this location: BFL202, BFL245, BFL267, BFL327, BFL394, BRFEM, BFL429, BFL434, BFL453, BFL500
- Exit type:
- Short Start
Personal
- Name:
- Stew Berry
- Gender:
- Male
- Nationality:
- American
- Age:
- 33
- Experience:
- —
Equipment & Setup
- Canopy:
- —
- Canopy size:
- —
- Container:
- —
- Suit:
- Phoenix-Fly › Phantom 2
- Packing:
- Slider Up
- Deployment:
- BOC
Circumstances
- Weather:
- Winds light and variable Snow
- Factors:
- Unable to locate pilot chute
Description
Information coming in that Stewart was jumping solo and had organised to check in with another jumper after landing but when this didn’t happen Rega was called in and he was located near the landing area. So far only information is that he may have had cold hands.
Update 3rd January 2019
There is no 100% clear idea as to what happened to Stew... even after watching the video from his GoPro (front facing), reviewing the pictures taken by the Police, and inspecting the gear. Stew had a good flight, a clear movement for pull can be seen on the video, no struggle or panic after, and stable flatter flight till impact. The lower closing loop was torn from the impact, and the canopy came out behind him on the ground. Slider was still up and the PC was out flat (bridal stretched, no knots or entanglement, and not packed as if it just slid out of the pouch). From this point on, all we can do is assume that the PC had some sort of hesitation, snag, etc.
I'll mark this up to the 1% unknown factor on a base jump, that can screw everything up. Stew was a very calculated person, months away from achieving his PhD in Neuroscience at the Zurich University
Gallery