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skipstertoo

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Hi! I'm brand new to your forum. And I'm a writer, not a skydiver. I've joined your forum in the hope of answering some questions to help with a fictional piece that I'm currently writing, loosely based upon an incident that occurred in September, 1985 -- 17 years ago. Maybe some reader will recall this: a heavily armed, former narcotics agent from Lexington, KY, with 75 pounds of cocaine strapped to himself, fell to his death in a Knoxville, TN suburb when his parachute malfunctioned. Does anyone have any recollection of this incident? Apparently the main chute failed to open and a reserve chute was unable to stop the fall.
I apologize if this comes across as a morbid question, and I don't mean it as such, but falling from possibly as high an altitude of 15,000 feet, is it unusual that the "only" injury was a broken neck? It seems there would have been more serious injuries. (The plane continued on auto pilot for another 70 miles.) Would it appear that he may have jumped from a much lower altitude? I'm simply concerned about being accurate with my story, or as accurate as one might be in writing about such a situation. And, also, interested in any recollections about the incident.
As I recall, there was a crash in Butts County, GA, just a few weeks later, where 15 or 16 skydivers were lost. Any connection to the Thornton incident was apparently ruled out. Is there a site with historical archives where I might research the story further? Or any info you may have about this? Again, it's a sad story, and I'm sorry to introduce myself on such a note. I do appreciate any feedback. And I wish you all "safe swoops." It's a fascinating sport and your Web site and forum are quite interesting. Thanks, and all the best.

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Seeing how I was 5 years old, nope don't remember it happening.

As for the injuries, well it depends on the malfunction he had. If he had both canopies out but they were malfunctioning, then yeah, it is possible that a broken neck is all that would happen. From 15k, well, there is a reported case of a women falling from over 30k ft and living, so who knows. People have fallen off of roofs and suffered much more severe injuries and death before, so yeah, it could happen. *shrug*

A much lower altitude? Well, seeing how most jumps occur above 2k and with most sport rigs you will not survive a jump lower then 500ft or so (generally, depending on gear, sun spots, the position of my right elbow in relation to the moon, etc), so a "safe" much lower altitude is unlikely.
--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

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Nice website, btw. So you're an aircooled VW guy? Right on, I have a '73 SuperBeetle (1302) that I've had for 7 years, I love that car. Someday I'll have the $$ to finally build it the way I want it.
--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

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Taken from the BASE fatility listings... I don't present it as fact or even the posibility that its even plausable... Look up the NTSB info for details on the plane incident.

Andrew Thorton, BASE 78
Impact
"Andrew is said to be a friend of Dave "Cowboy" Williams. Williams is the first to
bring a Cessna Caravan to skydiving. The same Caravan later crashed shortly after takeoff
due to fuel contamination killing Dave and a full load of jumpers. Just previous to this event
Andrew Thorton is found dead in the backyard of a doctor's house after a bungled night
jump. He is discovered clothed in black garb, wearing night vision goggles and armed with
a handgun. Attached to his harness are bundles of cocaine. It's been theorized that Andrew's
drug delivery gone bad and the plane crash later are connected, but nothing is ever
proven.
Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

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get the book bluegrass conspiracy. i think the authors name is sandy deaton if i am not mistaken. it chronicles this whole incident and not to mention a great deal of what occurred prior to this incident happening. incidentallly, drew thornton used to have a personalized license plate which read skydiv and a good friend of mine who is a local jumper has it now. good luck!


It is better to be dead and cool than alive and uncool!

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This is from the linked material I posted earlier.

850912.. Andrew Thorton III, retired Lexington, Kentucky Police
Department Narcotics Officer, crash landed via parachute in
suburban Knoxville TN with 79 pounds of cocaine. Several other
duffle bags of cocaine were found in the Chattahoochee National
Forest, totalling approximately 400 pounds. ref:multiple news
reports. See 870112, 871123, 890225, 900820, 930409, Sally
Denton, The Bluegrass Conspiracy, Doubleday, 1990.

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:)Wow! I'm overwhelmed! 140 views and ten replies in less than 24 hours! You DropZoners are awesome! Thanks so much for all the excellent information and links! You've saved me literally days of research and surfing around the Web. Just what I was hoping to find... but, truly, an amazing response. (I must be hanging out with the wrong crowd! Y'all are into what you do all the way! I may just need to trek on down to Eloy and jump into some clouds to really understand what this experience is all about.) So, again, a huge THANKS to AggieDave, darkvapor, PhreeZone, outofit, howardwhite... and especially to skybytch, Moderator, and sangrio, Head Honcho. (Feels as if I've just met the Rolling Stones or something!) You "guys" have been truly great... and quick. I am honored by your responses and I will post more when I've completed my book and the screenplay in 2003. Or who knows... I may be back sooner with more questions. Forgive my rambling, writers are that way... but just to say "muchly appreciated" and, definitely, "safe swoops" and blue skies ahead!

Peace, Love & Woodstock, Skipster...too.

"Adventure is worthwhile in itself." -- Amelia Earhart

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Quote

it appear that he may have jumped from a much lower altitude


If you jump from 15000 foot or 2000 foot, after 10 seconds (or about 1000 give or take), you're going to be falling at terminal velocity (about 120mph) - so the height wouldn't make that much difference.
-----------------------------------
It's like something out of that twilighty show about that zone

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btw, i think u may be a little inaccurate on the altitude thornton jumped from. at the time this happened he was being tracted by a dea plane and as a result he was trying to fly under radar. i can't remember exactly but he bailed at a much lower altitude. i wish i had the book handy. this guy was also in the special forces. he was a total adrenaline junkie. i know where he learned to skydive and the people who trained him and knew him well but i don't want to post it because it may be inappropriate. i hope we were able to help.


It is better to be dead and cool than alive and uncool!

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Very interesting related article that Mike Gruwell wrote last week.


http://www.chutingstar.com/riggerrantandrave.html
--------------------------------------------
"Cowboy's Caravan" leaves questions
unanswered in deaths

11-Nov-02 -- Georgia's worst skydiving accident occurred Sept. 29, 1985, and many of us in the sport today know little about what occurred and what skydiving was like back in the 80s. But I recently was given the book "Cowboy's Caravan" to read, which is an account of the accident and investigation as well as a window into Georgia skydiving in the 1980s. The book was written by Robert L. Williams, the father of one of the skydivers killed in the crash. His son, David "Cowboy" Williams, a skydiver and pilot, was also the owner of the Cessna Caravan that crashed not far off the end of the runway at the Westwind drop zone, near Jenkinsburg, killing all 17 aboard. Having not been a part of skydiving during this time, I can not verify or substantiate the facts and story presented in "Cowboy's Caravan," but the author does bring up several interesting points about certain friends of "Cowboy" who were involved in drug operations as well as problems with the aircraft itself and the fuel barrels at the drop zone. The official cause of the crash released by the National Transportation Safety Board was water in the fuel; 34 percent water to fuel in the tank. The official report is available on the AOPA web site at www.aopa.org/asf/ntsb/index.html. Part of the report states, "Fuel in the tanks was contaminated with water and foreign material with the appearance of brown algae…(This aircraft) had a history of fuel contamination…(the) aircraft was estimated to be 370 pounds over its maximum weight limit." In addition to the author's other theories on the reason for the crash, one of the most interesting parts of the book is the general history of jumpers who are still in the sport today, including Dolphin manufacturer Mike Furry, Georgia jumper Louis Bottoms and instructors Bill Scott and Billy Rhodes. "I still believe the crash was not an accident," the author concludes. "I have hope that someday there will be evidence to prove what actually happened." To order this book, click on this link.

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Hey, Skipster...

You may want to go hang out at your local DZ for a weekend - check out what it's like, and make sure you stay for the afterjump festivities.. It is a totally different atmosphere, utterly different than you'd expect. You might also want to try a tandem, just to get a taste of the sky. It will help in communicating the feelings attendant with jumping - and make it easier for you to take the flight of fancy - it is totally different than anything you could think of.

Ciels-
Michele


~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

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She's right. Even seasoned jumpers have a hard time describing what freefall is like. It's like, uh..., well it's really windy. And there's NOTHING else like it in the world.

Patrick
--
It's never too late to have a happy childhood.
Postal Rodriguez, Muff 3342

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