Fatalities in wingsuit BASE jumping.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Descriptive case series of fatal incident records
PubMed 24238216 · doi:10.1016/j.wem.2013.06.010
What was done
A descriptive epidemiological study analyzed 180 consecutive fatal fixed-object sport parachuting (BASE jumping) events occurring between 1981 and 2011 to evaluate human, equipment, and environmental factors in wingsuit-related deaths. Main outcome measures were descriptions of typical fatal incident and injury mechanisms, along with supplemental data from the first 8 months of 2013.
What was found
Of 180 total fatal events (1981–2011), 39 (22%) involved wingsuits. Among the 39 wingsuit fatalities: - 38 (97%) were male. - 38 (97%) launched from cliffs and 1 (3%) from a building. - Fatal injury mechanisms were cliff strikes in 19 (49%), ground impact in 18 (46%), and building strikes in 1 (3%). - 17 fatalities (39%) were attributed to wingsuit path miscalculation. - Wingsuit deaths represented 10 of 61 (16%) BASE fatalities from 2002 to 2007, rising to 29 of 59 (49%) from 2008 to 2011. - In the first 8 months of 2013, 17 of 19 (90%) BASE fatalities were wingsuit-related. - Most fatalities occurred between April and October.
Why it matters
This study documents that flight path miscalculation leading to cliff or ground impact is the primary mechanism of wingsuit BASE fatalities and demonstrates a sharp increase in the proportion of BASE jumping deaths involving wingsuits over time.
Limits
The abstract describes a retrospective fatality series with no denominator of total jumps or active participants, precluding calculation of true incidence or per-jump fatality rates. Non-fatal injuries and near-misses were not analyzed. Reporting and classification may be subject to retrospective bias.
Cited by
- supports Wingsuit BASE jumping has a high fatality rate compared to other skydiving disciplines.