A Russian man dies above Chamonix on Monday afternoon, 3 October 2016, at about 1pm. The fatal impact prematurely terminated a WiSBASE* from the Aiguille du Midi (3842 m), in the Mont-Blanc massif.
*WiSBASE: Wingsuit Base Jumping is the sport of wingsuit flying. WiSBASE technique is proximity flying, which is flying close to the faces and ridges of mountains.
According to Ouest-France, the man's parachute failed to deploy and he crashed into the rear of a new apartment building, located close to Décheterie du Closy, in the sector of Gare de Montenvers.
"He hit a big chalet of three floors, which is new but not yet inhabited, located city entrance. The impact is one meter above the ground," told at AFP, mountain deputy mayor of Chamonix, Jean-Louis Verdier.
According to France Bleu Pays de Savoie information the man's parachute would not open properly and hit full force the building facade, before falling to the ground. The wingsuit flier died on spot.
According to Le Dauphiné Libéré, several witnesses present at the accident scene, raised the alarm. Fortunately, the accident didn't cause another victim.
According to Le Figaro an investigation has been opened by the Chamonix PGHM to determine the circumstances of the accident.
"We do not understand what happened. It worries us", told Mr. Verdier. "We will think about solutions to avoid this type of accident". "The wingsuit flying is a new and growing sport and wingsuit fliers do not control everything"."He hit a wall, but he could have hit people or a car. "What worries us is the endangerment of others", he added.
The circumstances of this accident remain to be defined.
This is the fifth victim of wingsuit in Chamonix, since the beginning of 2016, according to an AFP count.
