Fatality...

[RemiAndKaren 0]

From
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/england/newsid_1646000/1646079.stm
"A British skydiver has died in Florida when his parachute failed to open. Craig Chesworth, 23, who is believed to be from London, died at the resort of Sebastian when he missed the landing area and crashed into a nearby house.
A spokeswoman for the Skydive Sebastian centre, in south east Florida, said Mr Chesworth's parachute did not open fully until he was too low. The experienced parachutist was on holiday.
The centre spokeswoman said: "He missed the drop zone and hit someone's roof."
She said he had been in Florida for some time and shared a flat with a worker at the centre adding "he was a beautiful, awesome person."
The Holmes Regional Medical Centre, where Mr Chesworth was treated, said he died at 0820 local time on Thursday and his family had been informed.
Mr Chesworth had made 165 previous jumps. "
Remi
Muff 914

[PhreeZone 14]

Condoliences to the Family and anyone who knew him.
As always... more information is appriciated.
A rainy day at the DZ is better then a Sunny day at work

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

.....very unfortunate.
My webpage HERE

[Strynx 0]

Tought for all his Family and friends!

[Michele 1]

More information coming - just got off the phone w/ the ST&A from Skydive Sebastian. Have to write it up, but it will be up w/in the next 24 hours.
And my sincere condolences to the family and to his child. Blue skies, Craig.
Ciels-
Michele
"What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky".
~e e cummings~

[skymedic 0]

Funny thing about Sebastian is they never have had a single fatality till this year they get two...very very unfortunate...
Marc
Because I fly, I envy no man on earth

[Fab 0]

In the Sebastian Sun.
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/verobeach/1109verojump1.shtml
November 09,2001
By Tony Judnich
staff writer
A parachutist who crashed into the roof of a Roseland
home Wednesday afternoon died from his injuries
early Thursday morning.
Craig Chesworth, 23, of Crewe, Cheshire County,
England, had sustained head trauma and a broken
leg, Indian River County Sheriff’s Office Detective
Chris
Gregory said.
Neurosurgeons at Melbourne’s Holmes Regional
Medical Center found no brain activity when they
examined Chesworth, Gregory said. Chesworth was
placed on artificial life support and at 7:42 p.m.
Wednesday was pronounced clinically dead. Life
support was stopped at 2:31 a.m. Thursday, Gregory
said.
Chesworth had landed feet first on the roof of a 79th
Avenue residence. He crashed through the roof and
hit his head before tumbling to the ground, Gregory
said.
Chesworth had misjudged his approach to the Skydive
Sebastian drop zone, or landing zone, at the
Sebastian Municipal Airport, Skydive Sebastian Drop
Zone Safety and Training Adviser Mick Hall had said.
The zone is about 3/4 of a mile southwest of the crash
scene.
Federal Aviation Administration officials investigated
Chesworth’s equipment Thursday and found "his
equipment was working properly," Gregory said.
"Witnesses on the ground saw a full (parachute)
canopy."
Chesworth had deployed his chute at between 1,700
and 2,300 feet, but should have opened it at 2,500
feet or higher, said Gregory, who didn't know why
Chesworth didn't open his chute sooner.
Skydive Sebastian officials could not be reached for
comment Thursday.
Speaking Thursday from Chesworth's hometown of
Crewe, Chesworth's half-brother, Tony Smith, said
family members were making plans to have
Chesworth's body returned home.
The death "is really incomprehensible," Smith said.
"He
lived for the sport. At least he went out doing what
he
loved best."
Chesworth had made 165 previous jumps, with
Wednesday's being his 33rd with Skydive Sebastian,
Gregory said. He said Chesworth had been practicing
aerial maneuvers after he jumped from a plane with
instructor Mike Swanson, of Sebastian, who landed
safely at the drop zone.
Paul Clarke, Chesworth's brother-in-law, said
Chesworth was an experienced jumper who had
served in the British Army Parachute Regiment.
"All he wanted to do was jump," Clarke said. "He had
served well in the military. That's where he got the
hang of parachuting."
Clarke said Chesworth "will be remembered as a
person who went out and did what he wanted to do.
He lived life to the fullest."
On Oct. 6, a parachutist crashed into a residence on
79th Court, one street north of 79th Avenue, but was
not injured.
In May, Urs Bischofberger, 33, of Switzerland, became
the first jumper to die while sky diving with Skydive
Sebastian, which opened in 1993. Bischofberger's
main parachute failed to deploy, and he had crashed
into the south prong of the St. Sebastian River, about
half a mile southwest of Skydive Sebastian.

[Michele 1]

It's up on the front page......
"What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky".
~e e cummings~

[pack40 0]

I feel sad when hearing about skydiving fatalities or accidents.
It is very hard to imagine and I really do not want to what the family and friends feel in this time.
But in the same time I feel very angry because all the
FUCKING newspapers, yes the fucking newspapers put such news on the front -page as Michele says "It's up on the front page......"-. I know people want to hear about accidents thus the media is looking for blood. But, I am NOT interested in the pain of others.
The same happening here in Hungary they never mention a competition a boogie or ANYTHING about the sport just when somebody dies. They never mention that in some countries not skydivers but the SKYDIVING itself is going to be dead, because there is no money in the sport nobody is helping/sponsoring anybody. Try to get a sponsor after such an accident. If I mention anybody whuffo skydiving/parachuting the first thing which will come through his mind will be the accidents which he will recall from the news better that anything. And of course the lack of money is never mentoned I know you can't really make a good business out of skydiving and even in the US DZs are happy to break even or happy with a 4-5% profit. They never mention that anybody having a snackbar or any little business would close it down after two month with such small earnings.
An investor/bank would laugh for an hour if you would ask for a loan to operate a DZ.

[RemiAndKaren 0]

Pack,
there is no argument: any accident (skydiving or other) is an awfull thing.
No argument agout this either: the mainstream media does an awsomly crap job at covering skydiving and accident in particular.
But as a jumper, I want to learn as much as possible about any and all incidents and fatalities. I agree, a BBC or mainstream media article wont give us any valuable insight on what happened, but it is a starting point.
Hopefully, witnesses will post details on here and we will all learn from this sad event.
Remi
Muff 914

[pack40 0]

RemiAndKaren
You are right every jumper should be aware of the danger and learn from the tragic accidents of others. Once in Hungary where I live a skydiving homepage used to post the statement of the inspector of the accident. The inspector was from the USPA equivalent organization or the Civil Aviation Authority. The report described the accident, the mistakes it had some general comments/recommendations how to do things to avoid accidents or maybe some rules/decisions that this and that pilot chute can not be used with that gear etc.
That was a really usefull thing because it came from such a person who is an expert, who is from an authority and whom I beleive. I do not think so that any reporter even who knows something about a skydiving or he is a jumper could comment an accident fatal or not so other couls learn from it.
As far as I know the USPA or anybody has a homepage describing accidents -once I found on the web- but without recommendations for the future.

[larry 0]

http://www.skydivenet.com/fatalities/
This is the page I go to learn about what caused a fatality and if there is anything that can be learned to prevent me from doing the same thing. As stated in the disclaimer of the site, it is not for whuffos that want blood stories; it is a place for skydivers to learn from the tragic and unfortunate losses of others.
-Larry

[rainman 0]

Michele,
Thanks for doing a great job on the article, however sad the subject!
Ramon

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