Basejumper.com - archive

http://www.koamtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11834777

he's a friend of mine...

Wait, this article is confusing me. Did he die on a jump or is it related to something else?

Sorry about your friend.

The only info I have at this time is that he died from jumping Big Brutus. You can google it, it's a 160ft. shovel in KS. I don't know if he had a mal or just didn't have enough time to open or what... I'm sure that will all come out in the next few days. The information I have is that he was not alone at the time of his death but the person he was left fled the scene. The police found the body. I'm not real happy that someone left my friends body at the base of the object all alone to be stumbled upon at a later date. What kind of a man does it take to just walk away from that.

We're having problems finding a couple of people VERY close to the deceased so I would rather they don't find out about it on the internet. The name will be released soon I'd imagine.

 

wow, sorry to hear about your friend.
To up and leave someone like that, that's just unforgivable...someone needs to be beaten with reeds!

http://fourstateshomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=104352

Growing up near this object i always had a desire to jump it when i was active in base. I wish that one of my friends could have made a successful jump from it as it would be a neat object, I feard the day they closed to boom that it would be dangerous to climb the thing because it is covered in grease.
I have no details of this accident other then the people involved, I do not know if a jumper was left behind and if his body was left behind then maybe that was talked about before the jump, who knows.
I do know that the weather conditions where cold, wet fog and that we lost a very pivitol member to the skydive world of NW arkansas, SW missouri and SE Kansas. He had a large status in the sky around here and he was Arkansas BASE! He not only had his base number but he did it again by getting all four objects in Arkansas as well. truly a guy who lived large!
Joe

Edit to add.
http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/local_story_016213536.html
Apperas that employess found the jumper. :(

Sad to hear about the loss of another
one of our brothers or sisters

As for leaving the body, totally not
my style, BUT if discussed & agreed
to prior to the jump then well okay.

Yea, you fail.

Some people agree before the jump to make such action. Once I am dead (as in DEAD, not to be revived, 100% worm food), what purpose do others serve when the law arrives, but to be victimized further ? It's a personal choice to stay behind, please leave it to the people involved. Judging from the sidelines is way too easy.

for a more detailed explanation, read this http://www.basejumper.com/...es/The_Pact_788.html

Mark Mosley... you will be missed.

Heard the news Saturday. The Fox station here in Pittsburg, Ks briefly mentioned that a body was found and made a mention that a parachute may had been found, also. I had a bad feeling of who it was.
Blue skies, Brother.

 

If there is nothing to be done I'm leaving and i expect others, and have expressed to them, to do the same.

 

In order to prevent an all-out "fuck you" fest...
How about this for a sensible "Pact":
1.) Everyone who is in on the jump has numbers for local hospital and ambulance services.
2.) Everyone has an "in case of emergency" card on them. (with contact numbers)
3.)In the event of somebody dying, you call someone you or that person trusts (who has an alibi), who then alerts the authorities.
4.) From then on, anyone who wants to stay can stay, anyone who wants to leave can leave. The people who want to stay can hand their gear off to the people who want/need to leave. The family is notified in a timely manner, and nobody needs to get arrested.

to prevent your "fuckyou" fest, how about you discuss the pact in a different thread.


fatals suck.160 is low. hate to hear it but it happens.

if i go in, what good does getting yourself arrested accomplish?

+1

I could post all sorts of reasons to NOT make a telephone call, but this is not the proper venue. Only those involved need agree on any particular pact.

If education is the goal, let's discuss WHY the jump plan failed. s/l? pca? premature slip/fall? these seem more helpful to this community.

It's a sad day. A family grieves. Friends sit stunned.


condolences.

Damn. I really liked him.

I will miss jumping and stirring the shit pot with you on the weekends, brother. Say hello to Marnie and Suppa for me.


3-2-1.....Cya

 

im gonna miss my fellow bald headed buddy.... condolonces to family and friends. jimmy

the only person that would know for SURE if your friend was with someone else, is the other jumper. did he tell you he was there? are you a BASE jumper? you know what they say...getting BASE jumpers together for a jump is like herding cats. very possible your friend was solo.

edited to add that i'm very sorry for your loss. lot of that going around these days : (

It was during the climb up.
http://the-working-man.com/big-brutus.html

 

Happier Times

Mark Mosley was a great guy!! May SitFlyBaseBoy live on. RIP brother!

To all who are quick to judge someone leaving the body...

You don't know if it had been previously discussed. I have jumped with a guy who always told us "If Im alive, call 911. If Im dead, cut off my gear and get the hell outta there."

Really sucks to hear this happened though. I wonder if this was static line or PCA or what. Thats kinda low.

"I wonder if this was static line or PCA or what. Thats kinda low.".......

From the post above it seems like this was a fall while climbing the object. Don't think the jumper actually jumped.

-----------------------------------------------------------
To all who are quick to judge someone leaving the body...

You don't know if it had been previously discussed. I have jumped with a guy who always told us "If Im alive, call 911. If Im dead, cut off my gear and get the hell outta there."
------------------------------------------------------------
Kiki,
I have to admit, my (like a lot of ours)reaction was a knee-jerk one, thinking it was shitty to leave a dead friend. A little of the Army Ranger left in me that says "never leave a fallen comrade"...
That said, a number of you are exactly correct. If that was the agreed upon plan, so be it.
Regardless, it really sucks to hear about another fatality.

just an update from the local newspaper.


Published January 17, 2010 10:10 pm - WEST MINERAL, Kan. — The man who was found dead Saturday morning at the Big Brutus attraction, identified as Mark Mosley, 49, of Lowell, Ark., appeared to have been base-jumping, Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves said Sunday.
Base jumping is an activity in which participants with parachutes jump from a base, typically a building, bridge or cliff. Groves said authorities collected a chute, jumping harnesses and other safety equipment from the scene.

Base jumper identified




By Emily Younker


eyounker@joplinglobe.com

WEST MINERAL, Kan. — The man who was found dead Saturday morning at the Big Brutus attraction, identified as Mark Mosley, 49, of Lowell, Ark., appeared to have been base-jumping, Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves said Sunday.

Base jumping is an activity in which participants with parachutes jump from a base, typically a building, bridge or cliff. Groves said authorities collected a chute, jumping harnesses and other safety equipment from the scene.

Base jumpers at low altitudes often use a static line, which connects the jumper to the base, Groves said. As the jumper falls, the chute opens and detaches from the cord.

The highest point of Big Brutus, the boom, is 160 feet.

Groves said Mosley was found near Big Brutus’ shovel, and authorities believe he had been standing at the top of the boom, which is located above the shovel. Although there are steps up to the boom, public access at that point has been closed for several years, Groves said.

Groves said it wasn’t immediately apparent whether Mosley was trying to attempt a static-line jump. He said Cherokee County authorities continue to investigate the incident, including whether Mosley might have intentionally attempted a non-static line jump or whether he might have fallen before he had a chance to set up his jump.

“There was no line or evidence that’s what he was trying to do, stretch out the chute before he actually jumped,” Groves said. “Especially with low altitudes, once you jump, your chute doesn’t always have time to catch the air.”

Mosley’s body was found late Saturday morning by an employee of the Big Brutus complex and was taken to Topeka for an autopsy. Groves said preliminary autopsy results could be delivered as early as today.

personal experience with big brutus: Having been to this "attraction" you used to be able to walk up the steps to the top of the boom, years ago the boom was closed to the public for insurance reasons and you would have to climb the outside of the crane/shovel to get to the boom platform. that platform is about 4ft by 8ft with a waist high railing around it.
Currently the thought is that Mark fell from the platform and not during the climb up. Howevere that information is known by for sure one person and maybe a few others but the info has not been made public. there was a person with him, that person did leave Marks body behind and mark was found at around 11am the same day as the jump. we do not know what time the jump was to take place or if a prior disscussion of what if's was made, Mark has jumped with this experienced jumper i the past.
If the local police have information they as well are not talking to much about it, they have spoken with a few base jumpers asking gear realted questions and thats as far as the conversations seem to go.
I hope this clears a few things up, I am not sure it does but it just does say what is known.. not much!
Joe

So they're saying there was no static line found. Are they saying the canopy was out of the container? Could it just have been a delayed opening? Did he try to throw after falling?

I totally see where you're coming from and trust me... it would be SUPER hard to leave a dead friend too (as Im sure this guys friends felt), but at the same time the best thing you can do for your dead friend is honor what they asked of you when they were alive. Thats just my opinion though.

"the best thing you can do for your dead friend is honor what they asked of you"

well said. I hope jumpers will remember to discuss this with each other before every jump. I would also like to remind active jumpers (especially those with children) to have a current, living will. it's the most respectful thing a jumper can do for the family & friends left behind (in my opinion).

I fixed it for you

I also suggest Advance Directives

http://uslwr.com/formslist.shtm

Green Machine, thanks for the link. Also, this link (within that site) gives even more detailed info based on individual state laws.

Mark Mosley's Services for those interested... Visitation will be Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 307 West Elm Street, Rogers, Arkansas. Funeral is Friday at 11 a.m. at the same location.

He's also a friend of mine. He was there for so many including me.
So long Mark. You had a good run. God speed.

If there was no break cord found. Was there a pilot chute and bridle attached to the canopy ? Considering the object height, might it be possible he was doing an unpacked jump or perhaps a direct bag ?

I can assure you all of a few things.

First, Mark would not have attempted a free fall from this height. Mark and I opened and jumped a good number of objects; most of them were low. Some of them were very low. We talked many times about our limits on what we would free fall and what we would s/l. I mentioned one day that I was thinking of free falling this one object. He, as a good friend would do, told me I was "out of my fucking mind"! He wasn't the type of person who needed to push it. Knowing him, he'd have someone pca him and then they would s/l it. Maybe that is why no break cord was found...because it left with whoever bugged out!

Second, Mark was comfortable with low stuff, mainly because he used the tools he knew how to use. He didn't do unpacked jumps. He didn't like them or feel confortable doing them. You can write this off...it wasn't an option.

Third, if a p/c was found, which I'm sure one was, it doesn't mean he was attempting a free fall. Each time we did a s/l jump we left our p/cs attached. We both felt like it was a good backup. Sure, sometimes they could get in the way but we'd rig out s/l however we had to to allow our p/cs to stay attached.

Static line was found in his pocket, unused. He also always jumped in an upright position and it wasn't his legs , to my knowledge, that received the initial blow of contact with earth. With this object being closed off to public now, the assumption is that there were blocked off areas that werent "just a walk up the stairs to the platform". This would mean he needed to climb over or around them. So, if he fell and threw out in an attempt to get some fabric in the air...that more clearly explains why chute was out, cord in pocket, trauma to wrong end of body.

These are just my opinions based on what few details I've gotten from people who have been up there to help with arrangements. The fact is that Marky was a safe jumper and would never intentionally push the boundries enough to get himself or a fellow jumper hurt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WacS79aXDvI
4029 Arkansas News Clip
RIP

1 in 60 ?!?!?! what a fuckin moron!!

1 in 60?????
Did i hear that correctly?
If that were the case, and if Mark is #144 on the BFL, that would mean to date there have been a grand total of 8640 base jumps completed (fatal and nonfatal) in all of history.

That was really interesting to watch. The reporter's story was actually really good. It came across as factual and non-judgmental, like good reporting should be. Then the stupid news anchor (and his even more stupid researchers) had to go and spoil things at the end. Is there no accountability for lying like this on a TV news program?

There is. It's called society. And society is only as knowledgeable as the news they are fed. Unless people are specifically involved in the story that the news are reporting, they will believe it as true. It has to be, it was on the news.

Reality TV with a twist.

Imagine if Doctors made assumptions, exaggerations, lies, and mistakes like some elements of the media.

#1 for the new decade, a dubious honour.

yeah, i was screaming at the anchor at the end.... it would be nice if someone stepped up and did an op-ed piece on that station to make the anchor look like a douche.

Well, as long as FOX news is presented in the US as reality.... that explains how the media present extreme sports in general.

RIP Mark. We're going to miss you. Very sad.

As for the news report about 1 in 60 jumps resulting in death, contact them here.

For those of you who couldn't make it to the visitation last night or funeral today, markey looked great. The little son of bitch even had his little smart ass grin on his face like he was up to something no good. Gnomie statues were brought. A 9 iron leaned against the casket. A bud light placed inside. I believe by the end of today there will be a go fast and vodka to keep him company as well. He was wearing his Apex BASE beanie. Anyway...... I'm rambeling. Sorry. I'm gonna miss him

My reply to the local affiliate who ran the story:

Your recent story about the man dying at Big Brutus was, for the most part, well reported. That said, your Anchor ended the report with an egregious lie. One in 60 Base Jumpers most certainly DO NOT die in this activity. In fact, we keep track of of fatalities in BASE, and to date there have been only 144 deaths, worldwide in over 30+ years. Are your viewers to believe that there have been only 8,640 jumps made in more than 30 years? By suggesting such falsehoods, your news anchor defiles the memory of a good man by insinuating that he had some sort of death wish. Perhaps Mr. Cannon should do some fact checking instead of simply reading what he's given. 99% of the population has no clue, but the truth is still the truth.

My message to the channel:

In reference to the report on Mark Mosley's death:
Who told you that 1 in 60 base jumps result in a fatality?
To take something someone said and report it as fact is incorrigible and certainly not "news".
I had a low opinion of the media to begin with, this makes it even lower.

Dear 4029TV,

I was impressed by Tiffany Stewart's news report on the tragic death of BASE jumper Mark Mosley. It came across as factual and non-judgmental, like good reporting should be.

However, I was not impressed with 4029TV's research into the statistics of BASE jumping fatalities, which was reported by your news anchor as one fatality every 60 jumps. As a BASE jumper myself, I would be fascinated to know how this figure was arrived at!

In Switzerland there is a popular valley for BASE jumping. Over ten thousand BASE jumps are recorded there each year, with an average of perhaps 4 fatalities.

It's certainly a dangerous sport, but it's upsetting to see the danger exaggerated to the point where Mark could be wrongly perceived as being near suicidal.

Regards,

Geo.

Here is their reply:

Thanks for writing 40/29 News.
It's unfortunate anytime we have to report the passing of someone as talented and well liked as Mark Mosley.
In our researching of base jumping, we found this website.

http://bjsportmed.com/content/42/6/431.abstract

It's an abstract of a study on base jumping.
What it says, is that in 2002, 1 in 60 base jumpers died participating in the sport.
We did not make up the news and don't and do take our jobs very seriously.
We're sorry for your loss
Thank you again for contacting us.

Greg DeBrosse
Assistant News Director
40/29

______________________________________________

THAT IS NOT WHAT THEY SAID DURING THE REPORT HOWEVER!

Reported by 40/29 news: "...statistics show there is a fatality, 1 fatality per 60 jumps."

bjsportmed.com: "The overall annual fatality risk for all object types during the year 2002 was estimated at about one fatality per 60 participants."

TWO VERY DIFFERENT THINGS!

I've just had the same response, and also pointed out their mistake. I'm sure it was an honest mistake - he said "jumps" instead of "jumpers".
Still, it would be nice if they issued a retraction.

Good job guys, well written replies,
and thanks for taking the time to
represent us as thinking people.

Has anyone actually read that report to ascertain their methodology? (The abstract is free, the report is not.)

The abstract states they estimate 1 death for every 60 jumpers. Because there had been 106 fatalities, that means, as of 2006, there were about 6360 "participants."

Or put another way, every year at BD, there are over 7 people that will end up on the BFL. Heck, that would mean that about a third of all jumpers did their first BASE jump ever at BD.

I'm guessing they had no idea how many people do a few jumps and then quit.

maybe I'm just rationalizing it, but I have a hard time believing that in 2006 less than 6500 people had ever BASE jumped.


ps
Maybe Tom could chime in with some stats about how many people he thinks he has trained. (or any other instructor that reads this.)

full report is available online at:

http://rapidshare.com/files/339576975/fixed_objects.pdf.html

and original paper that estimates only 700 base jumpers in the world (in Norwegian)

http://rapidshare.com/files/339578951/fixed_objects2.pdf.html

rapidshare has an download limit of 10 times, so these links will stop working shortly.

thanks.
I just finished a quick read of the article.

basically, a Norwegian researcher interviewed active jumpers in Norway during 2002. she estimated that there were 700 "active" jumpers that year. since 12 deaths were recorded... about 1 fatality for every 60 active jumpers.

the study also noted that 2002 had twice the average fatalities for 1998-2006. thus the number is based on a single data point, that could well be an outlier.

the 1 in 60 number looks more like a sensational headline than a solid figure.

at least one of the authors has BASE jumped.

I could say more, but I'd rather NOT hijack the thread even more.

I've received another email from Greg Debrosse. He apologized for the news anchor's mistake, and has ensured that the online news account is correct, which I've verified it is:

http://www.4029tv.com/...22266982/detail.html