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Tancrède Melet (soul of the Flying frenchies)
Although it is not a BASE accident I just came across this new and felt very sad

"Melet Tancred died Tuesday in a Balloon accident at Aurel, in the Drôme. Highliner, base-jumper, a member of the extreme aerobatics company "Flying Frenchies", based in Chamonix, in Savoie, he fell while training for a show.

Tancred Melet was considered one of the best Highliners in the world, this discipline of playing tightrope in extreme conditions. He killed himself in Aurel, in Diois (Drôme) on Tuesday, falling of a hot air balloon while training for an aerobatic show with circus Inextremiste .


On the third climb, the other participants are dropping a meter or two from the ground the balloon once it lifted from the ground. Tancred Melet remains gripped while the pilot raised the balloon. No one is surprised. The outfielder is a seasoned athlete who can remain suspended in air for long minutes. But at twenty meters high, he suddenly shouted "I'll let go" and he fell in front of his friends. Why did he suddenly slipped? It is incomprehensible to his relatives who are in shock. The survey is open to accident. It was jointly entrusted to the company Die and gendarmerie air transport of Grenoble"

Translated from https://www.francebleu.fr/...tgolfiere-1452080103
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Post deleted by clandestino
 
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Re: [clandestino] Tancrède Melet (soul of the Flying frenchies)
Super sad to hear this. The first time I ever saw BASE jumping was a trailer for "I Believe I Can Fly", and the first reason I ever aspired to fly a parachute was so I could do this: https://youtu.be/c3Ih91PsZt4?t=57s

Beyond just BASE jumping, I think he's been an inspiration for trying fun new stuff and coming up with unique ideas, and I'm sure I'm not alone in that thought.