Sat, 14 september 2013, fatal wingsuit accident: a 33 year old American male impacted on the mountain side and lost his life.
A wingsuit flying accident above Chamonix Mont-Blanc. The man lost his life while practising wingsuit flying from the top of Le Brévent (2525M), Chamonix. The Californian died shortly after launch at 15:20 CET from Brévent (2525 meters). The PGHM Chamonix confirmed the fatality on Saturday afternoon. An investigation has been opened to discover the causes of this accident.
Chamonix banned wingsuit flying in 2012, but a subsequent review by the Mayor of Chamonix, upheld the belief that makes Chamonix exceptional, the belief that every person has the right to chose their own destiny. Thus, on the 5 July 2013 the practice of wingsuit flying was authorized again with Le Brevent re-instated as an authorized launch point.
The summit of Brévent can be reached easily from the centre of Chamonix. A gondola connects Chamonix to the intermediate station of (Plan Praz 2000m). From there, a cable car continues on to the summit of Brévent; a favourite for people who love extreme sports and especially, wingsuit flying.
Wingsuit flying is an extreme sport with well-defined rules and considerable training is required. The human body flies through the air using a special jumpsuit, called a wingsuit. The costume adds surface area providing a significant increase in lift.
A wingsuit flight normally terminates with a parachute deployment. A wingsuit can be flown safely from any point that provides sufficient altitude for the flight and parachute deployment. The parachute canopy is similar to a small wing paraglider, permitting good manoeuvrability and Landing Zone targeting. To fly under the canopy, pilots must unzip their arms from the wingsuit to gain full arm mobility necessary for safe canopy flight.
Checkout a flight from Le Brevent.
