Malaysia : Australian base jumper dies as parachute fails to open

[Mid]

Australian base jumper dies in Malaysia as parachute fails to open
Gopal Ethirajh
Thu, 2010-09-30



An Australian base jumper who dived from Alor Setar Tower, also known as KL tower, Malaysia’s second tallest tower, was killed as her parachute failed to open. The 42-year-old Tantikey Lie Marion’s body is being flown home by the Australian High Commission.



Marion, together with 19 other local and international base jumpers, were training for the three-day KL Tower International Jump which begins on October 7. Marion’s parachute failed to open when she leapt from the 165m-high tower – the second tallest in the country – at about 4.15pm on Tuesday.

The group had conducted several jumps since morning. It is also learnt that this is the first time Marion jumped off the Alor Star Tower.

She died on the spot upon landing on the concrete ground less than two meters from a zinc wall put up by the tower management for maintenance work.

The tower has been closed to the public for maintenance work since last month.

BASE jumping refers to the sport of diving off fixed objects with a parachute. The acronym stands for buildings, antennae, spans (bridges) and earth (cliffs).

It is a controversial member of the extreme sport family, viewed by many extreme sport enthusiasts as wantonly reckless.

"It was something she was madly passionate for," according to her close friend in Australia.

asiantribune.com

[superman]

It is also learnt that this is the first time Marion jumped off the Alor Star Tower.

And the last.

[bretby]

You pays yer money and you takes yer chance.

I wonder if she packed her own chute?

[nikster]

BASE jumping is just not the safest sport in the world. Far from it.

There was a demonstration in Yosemite national park once where BASE jumpers wanted to demonstrate once and for all that their sport is perfectly safe. One of the first to jump had an issue with their chute and died.

[genghis61]

Fearless Buffy the BASE jumper made no sound in the final seconds to death
Georgina Robinson
September 29, 2010

Kylie "Buffy" Tanti made no sound as she plummeted to her death during a practice BASE jump from Malaysia's second-highest tower, say witnesses.

A post on her Facebook profile quotes a tattoo on her arm: "One day, death is going to take the life from everything we love. So while you are able love what you have."

Her close friend says the tattoo is "absolutely" reflective of Ms Tanti's "mad passion" for everything she did.

Kylie Tanti with a friend, as pictured on a social networking site

"I don't know anyone else with an attitude even remotely close to hers," he said.

The 42-year-old from Pheasants Nest, in the NSW Southern Highlands, must have known something had gone terribly wrong in the few seconds it took to make the jump yesterday.

Her only parachute - many BASE jumpers do not carry reserve chutes - became tangled around a small camera mounted on her helmet, a friend and fellow-BASE jumper, Gary Cunningham, said.

She managed to free it - but it was too late in the 165-metre fall.

"Although her parachute failed to open, I did not hear her scream or shout for help," one witness, Mohamad Zaidi Zainal Abidin, 41, told Malaysian news site The Star Online.

To the horror of onlookers, including members of the group she was training with, Ms Tanti hit the ground.

She was taken to hospital but pronounced dead there.

Friends in Sydney today mourned the loss of their "fearless" and "larger than life" friend but refused to criticise Ms Tanti's participation in a sport often considered too extreme even for skydivers.

"Not enough people die chasing a dream," said one close friend, who asked not be named.

"Although it's a really harsh thing to say not many people follow their dreams enough and she personally inspired many people to do that."

More at: Australian BASE jumper falls to death at Alor Setar Tower Malaysia

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I watched some of last year's event at KL Tower, and will see it again this year as it coincides with Moto GP weekend. Pic below shows two on the way down from the tower. Not for me, went up but took the lift back down again.

[nikster]

many BASE jumpers do not carry reserve chutes

I am sorry but that's pure madness.

R.I.P.

[terry57]

Bad news but not surprising in the least.

Much like climbing Everest, so many people have done it that its no big deal, same as base jumping.

Mad sort of shit in my opinion.

[Gerbil]

"larger than life"

If by that, they mean "sort of spread out in a pancake shape", then that would be accurate.

[toslti]

...and the gene pool improves with one less muppet contributor.

Her estate should be sued for the total cost of the clean up, damages to the pavement and trespass.





"Not enough people die chasing a dream," said one close friend, who asked not be named.

oh yeah.... brave enough to make a stupid comment but not brave enough to leave your name??....just in case your insurance rep is reading??

[r1 pet]

a reserve shute would not be of any use if when they came to deploy it they were at ground level,

[Chairman Mao]

More than a few seconds of knowing you're about to die in that jump.

[ItsRobsLife]

Good job it wasn't in Thailand or they'd be calling it a suicide

[WujouMao]

Good job it wasn't in Thailand or they'd be calling it a suicide

55555

[callippo]

More than a few seconds of knowing you're about to die in that jump.

velocity is about 50 meters a second and distance was 165m. She'd have hit in less than 4 seconds.