BFL#: 498 (27th of the year)
Name: Filippo Guenzani
Date: 29th September 2024
Nationality: Italian
Location: Varan (no contact) - Aiguille de Varan France
Object Type: Earth
COD: Unknown
Clothes/Suit: Aura 4 Wingsuit
Gear/Parachute: Unknown
Age: 38
Skydive Unknown
BASE Jumps: Unknown
Years/Seasons: Unknown
Time of day: 10:20am
Exit Altitude: 8038 feet (2450 metres)
Conditions: Blue Skies but Conditions were 7° in the valley, so plus 2000m it’s below zero.
Winds: 10kmh S wind at the exit, I encountered E wind 1400m below.
Description:
I am sorry to announce the death of Filippo Guenzani (name to be modified if not properly spelled), known as Filippo LeQuerce on Instagram. I wasn’t directly a witness, but I was on site and was called by the PGHM to help provide information to the rescue team about the jump and potential flight lines. I don’t know Filippo nor saw the flight; but I was on another exit 200m south at the time and saw his friends taking off with speed wings.
What we knew while searching for him: He exited around 10h20 alone from the “classic” exit of Varan, followed by his speed flying friends, taking off from the Aiguilles Rouges, above, and who saw him passing below them, then lost visual as they focused on their line. He then was missing at the landing and was not responding on his phone. On the location-sharing app they had initiated before the jump, his phone was somewhere close to the exit.
Weather condition: Blue sky, 10kmh S wind at the exit, I encountered E wind 1400m below.
-His video was recovered by the rescue team, and I could see it, but since they didn’t have software to read the 360 file on site, I could only access a dual fisheye view, which is distorted and couldn’t allow for comfortable analysis, and it needs to be taken into consideration reading what follows : He had a normal and stable exit followed by a safe flight, the line everyone does from the exit to the Ilettes lake (which is the landing). He flew pretty high on a very conservative line, all along. He initiated a flare then a pull 800m before the landing, pretty high according to the video. He couldn’t get anything out and got on his back almost instantly. He managed to get on his belly, then lost control again, then spins downwards to where he hit the ground and remained until the rescue team arrived. Between his first pull attempt and the ground, 14s elapsed, of which 7s spinning down. We could see him attempting again to reach his BOC a couple times but can’t tell if he tried more because of the 360 distortion and the angle of his camera. His pc was found out with a folded bridle, most probably out on impact.
We had a week ago BFL #496 happening a few km away on a national road.
From what I saw and was told, he most probably was flying an Aura4; he had an adrenalineBase container. I let the ones knowing him, completing the experience section.
I’m really sad for his family and friends; he played it safe until he tried to open his parachute.
Can you help us with incident interpretation? We are interested in any details regarding personal experience, gear, weather conditions and any other circumstances related to the incident.
