A base jumper died Sunday in Utah after his suit ruptured while diving from a height of 700 feet, authorities said.
Local media cited the Cache County Sheriff’s Office, which said the man died at the age of 27 in a mountainous area of Hyrum, east of the town of Millville.
His death came several months after two other Base-related deaths in Utah, including that of extreme athlete Andy Lewis, who gained notoriety for his 2012 Super Bowl performance with Madonna – drawing more attention to the many dangers of the activity.
Search and rescue teams were deployed Sunday to an area called Leetham’s Hollow, described by NBC News as having “walls and cliffs reminiscent of the Grand Canyon.” These teams pronounced the man dead at the scene.
“On today’s jump, something went wrong and he didn’t have enough lift with his wingsuit,” Cache County Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Doyle Peck was quoted as saying. “He hit the ground at a high speed, resulting in his death.”
Search and rescue personnel helped carry him out of the trough, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
Peck said the man, whose identity was not released pending family notification, had experience base jumping and was part of a group participating in the activity, according to NBC News.
Local newspaper KSL also reported that the sheriff’s office expressed “its deepest sympathies to the family and friends of this individual.”
Base is an acronym for building, antenna, span and land – four objects from which participants can jump. A 2019 National Geographic report called wingsuit base jumping the “deadliest sport” in the world.
Before Sunday, the Base Fatality List had recorded 548 deaths worldwide since the registry began in 1981. There have been 15 deaths so far in 2026, according to the list.
Gn headline
