MAn jumps to his DeaTH in the GRand CAnyON

[EvolutionHasBegun]

thats a hell of a way to die... theyll be identifying him by dental records...

[demon chloe]

A quick reaction by the pilot to the sudden weight shift caused when a man leaped from a sightseeing helicopter 4,000 feet to his death Thursday saved the lives of the others on board, according to one of the passengers.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Los Angeles man who came to tour the Grand Canyon with his girlfriend told the Daily Sun that after the man jumped out of the helicopter, the female pilot had to keep the helicopter from losing control. She operated a tour for Papillon Airways.

Because the helicopters are balanced by weight, the quick loss of a passenger caused the aircraft to veer sharply, creating the potential for a crash.

"We all thought we were going to die," the passenger said in a phone interview. "The helicopter tilted when he went out the door, and the air came rushing in."

He said the pilot managed to get the helicopter under control, pulled the headset -- worn by the man who jumped -- back into the helicopter and secured the door. She then returned the tour to the helicopter landing area near the South Rim without further incident.

Reports also show she attempted to prevent the passenger from jumping.

"She was a really great pilot," said the man from L.A. "I think we owe our lives to her."



As for the passenger who jumped from the helicopter to his death, the Los Angeles man said that he "seemed perfectly normal and quiet." He estimated the man was in his mid-20s, and he believed he was on the tour without any other friends or relatives.

When he unbuckled his harness and exited the helicopter in mid-flight, the man said, "there was just total and utter disbelief. I thought, 'This can't be happening.'"

The interviewed passenger said he was sitting on the opposite side of the helicopter in the back seats. He watched the man who jumped go past the window.

The passenger guessed the man jumped over the deepest part of the canyon, and estimates of his fall given by the National Park Service Friday put it at about a 4,000 feet.

Papillon declined to release further information Friday. "Right now they're focusing on providing information" to the proper authorities, said Rachel Wilkie, spokesperson for the company.

Authorities found the body in the Canyon near White's Butte Friday around noon. The body was turned over to the Coconino County medical examiner, according to Grand Canyon National Park spokeswoman Leah McGinnis.

McGinnis said the passenger could not be identified on the scene, and she said they probably will not have positive identification until Monday at the earliest. She did not offer any further details of the incident.

"Right now they are calling it an apparent suicide, but it's still under investigation," McGinnis said.

The Federal Aviation Administration will no longer participate in the investigation because the Papillon Airways pilot tried to restrain the man, said FAA spokesman Mike Fergus.

"The pilot didn't do anything wrong," Fergus said. "They didn't know he was going to commit suicide."

[img]graemlins/broken_heart.gif[/img] [img]confused.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/wilted.gif[/img]

[*Olivia*]

selfish

he endangered lives

he left people with memories they didn't deserve to have

there are plenty ways of doing it that don't involve endangering others

[wildnthewind]

That's sad... I have some friends that are tourin' the canyon as of last week.. Maybe they saw it..


I doubt he knew what might've happened when he did bail... Good thinkin' on the pilots part.. [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]

[Father Dave]

i have been to the canyon...was always amazed at the "no ropes-no barriers" anywhere on the ground..so as sorry as i am to hear of this...i stand surprised that no mentions of any idiots or sick people just walking off into a mile of nothing...

it made me nervous to see small children there...sincerely. [img]graemlins/umbrella.gif[/img]

[*Olivia*]

i flew a sightseeing trip with papillon many years back in hawaii (i believe that's where they started their business)

they clearly explained about the weight distribution...and everything else about the flight

but i guess he'd already made up his mind...or maybe they don't do such detailed briefings any more [img]graemlins/wonder.gif[/img]

[SummerStorm]

dayum...sad thing to hear...i feel for his family and friends.... [img]frown.gif[/img]