Skydiver killed in fall

GilletteNorth · Post by **GilletteNorth** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 10:54 pm

Skydiver killed in fatal fall near Calgary: RCMP
Updated Fri. Sep. 14 2007 10:23 PM ET

The Canadian Press

BEISEKER, Alta. -- RCMP say a man has died of his injuries after impacting into a field while skydiving near Beiseker airport northeast of Calgary.

Police said emergency medical staff including an air ambulance were called but the man died at the scene.

The name of the victim was not released, but police believe he was an off-duty member of the British military.

An autopsy to determine the cause of death is planned for Monday.

At least five skydivers have died in similar accidents in the Beiseker area since 1989.

A 2005 fatality inquiry into another skydiving death in the area recommended that the federal government should step in to regulate the sport.

the last part... pass laws telling skydivers to avoid dying while parachuting

ybp · Post by **ybp** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 8:48 am

An autopsy will be conducted on Monday.....

Lets see....he fell from 6000 feet and hit the ground...

Any guesses...???

Doc · Post by **Doc** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 9:07 am

They want to make sure he wasn't killed the night before and thrown out by his buddies. SOP. Do you not watch CSI??

yycflyguy · Post by **yycflyguy** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 9:22 am

GilletteNorth wrote:Skydiver killed in fatal fall near Calgary: RCMP
Updated Fri. Sep. 14 2007 10:23 PM ET

The Canadian Press

BEISEKER, Alta. -- RCMP say a man has died of his injuries after impacting into a field while skydiving near Beiseker airport northeast of Calgary.

At least five skydivers have died in similar accidents in the Beiseker area since 1989.

A 2005 fatality inquiry into another skydiving death in the area recommended that the federal government should step in to regulate the sport.

the last part... pass laws telling skydivers to avoid dying while parachuting

As a former pilot at this "facility" I can tell you that I started to fear either being violated for non CARs compliance or worse yet, that I would be hauled into court for my role in a skydiver death. Check the other clubs and skydive centers around Calgary. NONE have the problems that have existed at Beiseker. I don't care if you call it the Calgary Skydive Center or Skydive Ranch, it was just a shell game played by the owner and his family to limit the liability. They cut corners in all safety aspects and on top of it all... they were not nice people. I enjoyed all of this for the princely sum of $1 a skydiver.... building fences, painting, jeep maintenance, mowing the lawn was all expected for the privilege of earning $1 a diver.

flyer · Post by **flyer** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 9:25 am

Those guys sure do have a lousy track record. Having toured their facilities and knowing one (yeah, I know, only one) avid jumper who went through there, they were definately putting money ahead of safety for quite some time. I had heard that after the last couple deaths before this one, they had no choice but to smarten up, due to lawsuits and TC breathing down their necks. I know a couple (yeah, two) pilots who recently flew for them and it seems they were running a decent ship. I hope this was a tragic accident and not a shortcut gone wrong. Having grown up at that airport, I know that whole outfit has been a thorn in the side of everyone else who uses the airport, as well as the local landowners/farmers. Hope this doesn't disrupt the balance they were finally getting...

flyer · Post by **flyer** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 9:28 am

posted the last at the same time as yycflyguy, so I'm guessing the two pilots who I know may have been sugar coating things...

ever · Post by **ever** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 10:16 am

An autopsy will be conducted on Monday.....

Lets see....he fell from 6000 feet and hit the ground...

Any guesses...???.........

actually Im quite interested to see what happened, crushed this, crushed that........the causes are endlesss.[/quote]

Tubthumper · Post by **Tubthumper** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 10:39 am

gee......it's going to take someone with a University education to do an autopsy and determine that hitting the ground at 100+ mph is what actually killed him.....wow, that $100,000+ educaton is really paying off!

What would we do without them!

I used to jump there 12 years ago before I started flying. There had been a few accidents, but a few of them were due to dumba$$ students not paying attention and listening to what they were taught. I had a great time there, owners and staff were a fun bunch. That club was running 6 days a week in season, so that's a lot of jumping. I also jumped in YYJ where the club has a better track record but jumping far less than Beiseker and they still had a few mishaps. I know of one of the senior instructors that was hurt badly doing this, and he had 1000s of jumps and was hobbling like a 110 year old man after the accident. It's very convenient to blame the jump club for everything. Have TC regulate the sport?......

Good one! I can just see them wanting everyone to have PPCs for parachutes, ...VFR only or IFR, and every 6 months to renew . Special PPC ratings for high-performance canopies like Stilletos! Maybe we should get them to regulate bungee jumping, extreme skiing, and all kinds of motorsport racing, more people die doing that. Gimme a break

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SorZQhF0 ... ed&search=

buck82 · Post by **buck82** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 2:15 pm

Isn't the current operator of the jump zone in Bieseker completely different than the one associated with the rash of accidents several years ago??

TG · Post by TG » Sat Sep 15, 2007 4:30 pm

Tubthumper wrote:gee......it's going to take someone with a University education to do an autopsy and determine that hitting the ground at 100+ mph is what actually killed him..

I lost a friend in 96, he never open his parachute after colliding in free fall with another jumper. He didn't have a cypress (automatic activation devices of the reserve chute)
They did an autopsy on him and I think the main idea of it was to find out if he was intoxicated by alcohol, drugs or medications.

In his case, they couldn't get enough blood sample to do the tests...

We all knew he was clean anyway.

Tubthumper · Post by **Tubthumper** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 5:55 pm

Ok, I'll retract my sarcasism then. That's a good point you brought up.

GilletteNorth · Post by **GilletteNorth** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 7:52 pm

Some more information:

British military probing skydiving death in Alberta
Updated Sat. Sep. 15 2007 10:35 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

British soldiers opened their parachutes far above a field northeast of Calgary on Saturday, in memory of a fellow skydiver who fell to his death the day before.

The 23-year-old soldier was taking part in "adventure training," a routine practice for troops training at CFB Suffield.

But something went wrong and he plunged to his death, striking the ground about three kilometers north of Beiseker airport.

The British military and local police officers are investigating the death, and an autopsy is planned for Monday.

RCMP Sgt. Patrick Webb said soldiers at CFB Suffield are shocked and want answers.

"It's very upsetting for them," he told CTV News. "They would like us to get to the bottom of the cause and establish what happened.

Soldiers were using a facility owned by Alberta Skydivers Ltd., and the company said there have been 14,000 successful jumps in the past two years.

At least six skydivers, including another soldier, have died in similar accidents in the Beiseker area since 1989, prompting a 2005 inquiry into practices by the company's previous owners.

The inquiry recommended that the federal government regulate the sport.

But some skydiving experts said that the Beiseker area is no more dangerous than anywhere else -- just a hot spot for enthusiasts.

"That's been a very popular drop zone over the last couple decades, and I think that's reflected in the number of incidents that you see," said Adam Mabee, president of the Parachute School of Toronto.

Meanwhile, Webb said that Alberta Skydivers has voluntarily halted its operations until an investigation into the latest death is finished.

Friday's incident marks the first death since the company was bought by a new owner in May 2005. It was previously called the Skydive Ranch.

With a report by CTV's Sarah Galashan

I just noticed my signature is appropo to the event...

Morav · Post by **Morav** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 8:06 pm

The company that now operates out of the airport (since 05) is Alberta Skydivers Inc. It is a completely different operation to what it use to be. The airplanes are kept in great shape, the skydiving gear is practically brand new, and the training they provide is top notch. They train the British Military as part of an adventure training program. Trust me if they higher ups of the military thought something was up with the operation, they would not send their soldiers there!

Skydiving has its inherent risk! When things go wrong you have to react fast and accordingly. It is said that the chance of your main parachute malfunctioning is 1 to 750. SO if it happens on your first skydive you better believe you can handle it.

Yes the airport has a bad track record. It's not going anywhere anytime soon.

RIP
Blue skies

yycflyguy · Post by **yycflyguy** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 11:06 am

So let me ask you. Who owns the airplanes? Who owns the video department? Who owns the parachutes? Who owns the concession stand? Who owns the land?

Every asset was broken up and made a separate entity while I was there to limit liability exposure by the family that ran it due to the repeated legal proceedings they found themselves in.

Just because they have changed the company name and who "owns" the skydive facility I got $20 thats says not much has changed there. Can anyone confirm if the previous family that ran the "Ranch" is still involved in the day to day operation?

xsbank · Post by **xsbank** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 1:34 pm

"Skydiver killed in fall."

Hmmm...its actually still summer....when does a jump turn into a fall? Or was he diving? If he was killed in a car crash would he still be a skydiver? To kill a skydiver does he oh never mind. Sorry.

reverend · Post by **reverend** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 7:52 pm

The previous owners are not involved in the present operation at Bieseker. It is Pacific Skydivers out of Pitt Meadows who took over.

Morav · Post by **Morav** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 8:37 pm

well I guess you owe me $20.

You should swing by and check the place out. I can guarantee that you will be surprised.

Skydiver killed in fall

Skydiver killed in fall

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