Justin Guthrie of St. Anne, Missouri, died during a base jump from the Grand Canyon. He and his deployed parachute were found 500 feet below the south rim of the canyon.
A man from Missouri suffered a fatal fall while base jumping in Grand Canyon National Park, making him the second person in just a few days to die at this popular attraction.
According to a National Park Service press release, park rangers responded to reports of a visitor attempting a BASE jump from Yavapai Point on the south rim of the canyon in Arizona around 7:30 a.m. on August 1.
When rangers arrived at the launch site, they found 43-year-old Justin Guthrie of St. Anne, Missouri, and a deployed parachute about 500 feet below the rim. Guthrie’s body was recovered by helicopter and taken to the Coconino County coroner’s office, the park service said.
Guthrie’s death was the second within 24 hours
A day before Guthrie’s death, 20-year-old Abel Joseph Mejia fell 400 feet to his death after standing too close to the crater’s rim. Mejia’s death was the result of an “accidental fall,” according to a park service press release.
Both incidents remain under investigation. NPS spokeswoman Joelle Baird told USA TODAY on Thursday that the agency could not provide further details.
First fatal base jumping case in ten years
The last reported base jumping death in the park occurred in 2014, when a jumper was found dead near the Little Colorado River. Details of the death were not immediately available.
NPS has no data on “successful BASE trials in the park,” Baird said.
Regard: Widow scatters her husband’s ashes, base jumps into ravine
Base jumping is “banned” in the Grand Canyon, says NPS
Although thrill seekers might be tempted to BASE jump from the Grand Canyon, this death-defying activity is prohibited in all areas of the park.
BASE stands for Building, Antenna, Span and Earth. BASE jumping involves thrill-seekers leaping from things like cliffs and buildings before opening their parachutes. It’s incredibly dangerous because a successful jump depends largely on unpredictable winds.
The activity is considered illegal in Grand Canyon National Park, but other national parks allow visitors to apply for special permits to base jump, Baird said. The specific rules and regulations for base jumping vary by park.
In 2015, extreme sports enthusiast Dean Potter died while attempting a wingsuit flight over California’s Yosemite National Park. He and his friend jumped from the 2,300-meter-high Taft Point. This activity is prohibited in Yosemite National Park.
