Last report update from 18th June 2025 includes information on the object and the packing class Derrick took.
* THE ACCIDENT *
* Events
Derrick’s girlfriend reported him missing after not hearing from him for 6 hours and explained he went to jump an antenna by himself.
He was found by search and rescue at the bottom of the antenna with partial canopy out.
More details will be added once we know more about the circumstances of his death.
* About the object
The object is a 195ft-tall antenna in the eastern foothills of San Jose. It is not beginner friendly by any means and may not be jumpable at all.
It is supported by 3 guy wires and is surrounded by trees, fences and power lines. There is one slopy open field to the southwest of the antenna that may be a viable landing zone.
The structure has a lot of antennas mounted to it making this object very snaggy. One such antenna extends 8ft out of the structure towards the open field and sits 165ft above the ground.
The structure of the object may be too narrow to climb inside and lacks of platform to stand on. Climbing it outside and setting up a static line while hanging from its side would be a significant added risk.
Two cameras point at the antenna.
It is unclear at this point what direction and what height Derrick jumped from.
* Equipment configuration
[To be completed]
* PROGRESSION *
* Skydives
Derrick had performed 12 skydives over the last 12 months and never graduated from AFF.
Just one week before his death, Derrick did one last skydive which ended with a very low 90+ degrees turn under canopy. He miraculously landed fine and got out of it uninjured. When the DZO and AFF instructors talked to him about how dangerous that last maneuver was, Derrick seemed attentive and open to feedback. Regardless, he was banned from the DZ.
* BASE Jumping
It is unknown at this stage how exactly Derrick had gotten access to a BASE rig.
It appears that Derrick had gotten into BASE jumping on his own with no mentor or specific training. It is suspected that he had been BASE jumping for several months and had performed approximately 59 BASE jumps.
While he had learned a fair number of things through his own research, there were huge gaps left in his theoretical knowledge and skills that he seemed oblivious to. Some examples are presented below.
- Objects choice: The objects Derrick had chosen to jump off were inadequate for his experience level (unforgiving bridges, low illegal antennas and cranes, etc.). One such object is the Bixby bridge where he had multiple mishaps including a cliff strike just a month before his death. The LZ at this bridge is surrounded with a creek and the ocean which makes it a particularly dangerous object for someone who does not know how to swim like Derrick. There are plenty of more forgiving objects that are better suited for learning to BASE jump such as the Perrine bridge in the US and the Kanfanar bridge in Croatia for example.
- Gear selection: Derrick was jumping an older piece of equipment at a questionable wing loading (0.56). He had been jumping without a tail gate until he was advised to use one.
- Deployment technique: Derrick did not know how to pack a parachute and was exclusively performing unpacked jumps, especially roll-overs. His roll-overs were regularly performed under inadequate wind conditions (tail wind) and very poorly executed (off axis front flip, line twists, toggle inadvertently unstowed, etc.).
- Canopy piloting: Derrick’s canopy piloting skills were much too low for the objects he had chosen to jump (lack of spatial awareness, poor landing accuracy, slow reaction time to toggles, etc.)
Derrick took a packing class from a reputable BASE school just one week before he died.
Upon inspection of Derrick’s rig, the BASE instructors caught 2 rigging mistakes related to line continuity. As can be seen in his jump videos, two risers are twisted. Derrick received help with re-rigging his lines properly. The 3-ring assemblies were properly assembled and correctly oriented for this type of risers.
Derrick had lied about his lack of skydiving experience and a lack of packing skills was apparent during the class. Derrick was advised to be patient with packing and to go to the Perrine bridge to get more experience.
* MOTIVATIONS *
It’s unclear at this stage what motivated a smart and articulate young man to get into BASE jumping by himself. It is suspected that social media fame, over confidence and a possible glorification of death all played a role in this tragic loss.
* CONTACT WITH THE COMMUNITY *
Just 2 weeks before Derrick’s death, local skydivers and base jumpers became aware for the first time that Derrick had been BASE jumping.
The footage and information he had shared showed an obvious lack of training as well as very concerning BASE practices. Several people reached out to him.
One of his AFF instructor took a strong stance and communicated firmly to Derrick that BASE jumping has a very high fatality rate and that it requires much more training and knowledge. Derrick thanked his AFF instructor but unfortunately, this message did not seem to land. He said he had already heard that from his mom and that he was fully aware of the risks he was taking. Communication slowed down between the two after that.
A local BASE jumper attempted a different approach by playing it cool and acting admirative of Derrick’s stunts. He seemed more receptive to this communication style. They texted back and forth nearly every day until his fatal accident. While working on gaining his trust, the more experienced BASE jumper offered some advice which, surprisingly, Derrick seemed very open to. Topics of discussion included equipment set up, weather science, roll over technique, object specificities, etc. There was hope that Derrick could be talked back into a more sustainable path. The two of them had planned to meet up for coffee to have a serious discussion about getting back into skydiving and getting proper training before returning to BASE jumping down the road. Unfortunately, Derrick died 2 days before this talk ever happened.
In addition to being contacted directly by locals, Derrick was also in contact with the Skydiving/BASE community through social media. He had been told online many times that he needed to pause BASE jumping and get more training in skydiving first.
* LESSONS LEARNED*
* Gear sales
Somehow, a 19-year-old kid with just a handful of skydives managed to get his hands on a BASE rig. And I’d bet my money he didn’t buy that rig at his local thrift store. When we sell some skydiving or Base-jumping equipment, it is our responsibility to ensure the buyer has enough experience to use it. The equipment manufacturers already enforce sanity checks. I expect nothing less from any other BASE jumper. So please please, do your due diligence before shipping your old BASE rig to a stranger. You could prevent the next fatality. Get on the phone with potential buyers and test them. Ask specific questions like… Who did you/are you going to learn to BASE jump from? Then contact their instructors. What is your favorite brake setting? What is your favorite pilot chute size for BASE jumping? What kind of deployment technique would you choose for a 140ft antenna? Answers will make it clear whether you’re talking to someone with enough training or dealing with the next Derrick… Selling gear to someone without making sure they have or will receive proper instruction on how to use it is unacceptable.
* Communication style
People respond differently to various communication styles. You never know which style is going to work best for them so get a few folks together, make a plan and try different approaches. Try a girl. Try a dude. Try someone local. Try the Base-jumping super star they idealize. Try a straight talk. Try a smoother approach. Try a “Bro, excellent job getting out of this line twist! That was rad! Hey by the way, do you want a pro tip on how to make your roll-overs look even cleaner?”. Just try different approaches and remember any attempt to help someone is worth the effort.
Training
If you read this and you are wondering whether you should get some training or just buy a parachute and figure things out… you’re in luck, I’ve got the answer for you: 100% get the proper training!
This means learn to skydive first. Make at least 200 skydives (I promise you’ll have a blast). Read/watch everything you can about BASE jumping. Read the Great Book of BASE, listen to the Exit Point podcast, read every single entry of the BFL, etc. Find a reputable BASE instructor/mentor you vibe with and go live your dream.
BASE jumping is one of the rare sports where you can easily contact your favorite top athlete and train with them. It’d be a shame not to learn from the best when you can.
There is no substitute for training in BASE jumping. All the cool BASE jumpers you admire on the Internet have trained really hard to pull off the tricks and stunts they do. Nobody is special. You’re not special. You have to go through the training and put in the work like everybody else if you want any chance of surviving your BASE-jumping journey. BASE jumping is not a sprot where you can figure things out by yourself. Most if not all people who have tried to learn it by themselves are now dead. So go do the training necessary so you can send some rad base jumps till you’re 99 years old! Plus, training is super fun, don’t miss out on it.
Yes, this will cost a little bit of money but really, how much is your dream worth? So pick up extra shifts and start saving.
And please think of the aftermath if you die BASE jumping. Think of the trauma your loved ones will need to overcome. Think about your AFF instructors and the guilt they’ll experience. Think about the strangers that will need to pick your dead body and write a report about it. Your actions have consequences beyond what you might imagine.
Links to his social media pages
https://www.instagram.com/theturfgeneral
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.
