BASE Jumper Killed When Chute Fails to Open

Michigan's Josh Sheppard jumped from TV tower
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 16, 2015 3:30 PM CST
BASE Jumper Killed When Chute Fails to Open
A television tower as seen in a field in Rives Township, about 15 miles north of Jackson, Mich.   (AP Photo/The Jackson Citizen Patriot, J. Scott Park)

A 31-year-old Michigan man was killed this week when he jumped from a 1,000-foot TV tower and his parachute failed to open, reports USA Today. BASE jumper Josh Sheppard made the leap from the tower of WLAJ-TV in Rives Township Wednesday evening. He hadn't sought permission and had to get around a security gate to get to the tower. MTV reports that Sheppard "was widely revered in the skydiving community for his sense of humor, adventurous spirit and willingness to continually push the envelope." It links to this video of him lip-synching in mid-air to "Take My Breath Away" from Top Gun. (More base jumping stories.)

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