It was a gorgeous day and the 3 of us decided to jump Punta Calva. We started the hike at about 8am, it was great to be in the mountains and we were happy to be together. Marta was recovering from an ankle injury and I expected us to hike slower than normal, however she went full speed. We geared up and were on the exit at 10.30. There was no wind. The plan was for Marta to jump first solo, and then Miguel and I would jump together.
Marta was looking relaxed, not stressed, and not tired. She normally has a nice wingsuit exit, flat and quick to start flying. This time, she gave a good push like normal, but we were startled to see her go off quite head low. She did not appear to slip. When she dropped out of sight she was vertical with legs bent... scorpion. After that we couldn't see, but video shows what looks like her going for a front flip. She didn't come out of it and presumably made an emergency pull. What we heard was a canopy opening, but it didn't sound right, like it was mixed with an impact. We saw her canopy flying out near the base of the wall. It made a slow left-hand turn with no visible input and came to rest between some trees at the top of the talus. We called for a rescue immediately. There was no sign of movement. The helicopter arrived half an hour later but Marta was not alive.
Marta had not jumped her wingsuit for about three months due to recovering from an ankle injury. The week before, she made some wingsuit skydives for currency and also opened a new slider-down exit. She had a conservative approach to jumping wingsuit and never let her ambitions influence her progression. Her accident on this day was a horrible surprise to all of us. Once again it shows how fast everything can go to shit.
Marta's energy, exuberance, pure love of life, and love for the people around her will live on in our minds. She is deeply missed by her family and friends. A devastating loss for her loving partner. Vuela libre, amiga.
https://www.instagram.com/marta_inthewild?igsh=MXVzaGFoNHVpeXoycQ%3D%3D
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.