Wingsuit fail sends BASE jumper plummeting 700 feet

A tragic accident occurred in Cache County, Utah, on September 27, 2026, when a 27-year-old BASE jumper’s wingsuit failed to lift, resulting in him plummeting 700 feet to his death. The man, who has not yet been identified publicly, was participating in a jump with 10 others.

The man was experienced in this kind of activity, but unfortunately something went wrong this time. Though, the group jump took place at Leethan’s Hollow. Police were called to the area a little after nine that morning, where the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

BASE jumping has a history of being dangerous

BASE (Buildings, Antennas, Spans, Earth) jumping is one of the more extreme sports people can partake in. It involves jumping from fixed objects of pretty much any kind, though jumping from mountaintops and canyons is extremely popular. Although BASE jumping has been banned in all U.S. national parks since the 1980s, the 2025 government shutdown saw an uptick in BASE jumpers and other daredevils engaging in extreme sports in these parks.

The sport began in the early 1960s and was pioneered by Carl Boenish, a freefall cinematographer. According to the International Skydiving Museum, he filmed the first freefall jumps from El Capitan in Yosemite in 1978. Boenish was also one of the first camera flyers to take a jumpsuit and modify it with wing extensions in an effort to slow down the fall rate for large formation photography. But these kinds of jumps have proved extremely dangerous (and, considering what people get up to while skydiving or doing other extreme sports, it’s surprising they aren’t even riskier).

In fact, a tracking website called BASE Fatality List exists just to track BASE jump deaths. According to it, since 1981, a total of 541 deaths have been recorded. In 2026 alone, 15 deaths have occurred around the globe, with fatalities listed in Italy, France, Switzerland, Austria, South Africa, and the United States. This latest one in Utah comes just a few months after two men, aged 39 and 50, died in the state while BASE jumping on June 14.

The most recent incident was due to random chance

When it comes to wingsuits, the more lift one has, the better off they’ll be. It’s unclear why this man didn’t get the lift he needed to complete the jump, but it seems as if it was pure chance, which leaves only a split second to make the kind of decision that might cheat death. According to People, Cache County Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Doyle Peck only remarked, “He did not have enough lift with his wingsuit. He impacted the ground at a high rate of speed resulting in his death.”

The Cache County Chief Sheriff’s Office also reportedly released a statement that said, “We appreciate all of the professionals who responded to this accident in addition to Life Flight and the DPS helicopter: Cache County Search and Rescue, Cache County Fire, and Cache County Sheriff’s Office deputies[…] We also extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of this individual.”

The Utah Department of Public Safety sent a helicopter to the scene, as did Life Flight, to recover the BASE jumper’s body.

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