One of the world’s best wingsuit pilots has been horrifically killed after he dived off Table Mountain and slammed into rocks 1000 feet below at 120mph.
Expert daredevil Brendan Weinstein, 32, did not manage to pull up in time and was seen by tourists smashing into large boulders close to a popular hiking trail.
USA pilot Weinstein – who leaves behind his partner Kivia Martins and baby son Eiger – had travelled to Cape Town alone to do the difficult flight.
It is thought the Red Bull star took a cable car to the top hiding his parachute and wingsuit from staff who would have stopped him if they had seen them.
He walked for 15 minutes to a spot where wingsuit flights have been made in the past and donned his equipment before diving off the edge at about 9am.
Dozens of hikers including British and American tourists heard yelling from above and saw him impact as Weinstein slammed into rocks, fortunately off the trail.
Highly experienced Weinstein from Utah, USA, had completed over 1600 wingsuit flights, 800 BASE jumps and 1000 parachute jumps and was a world expert.
But his luck ran out on Monday morning when he dived off the 1086m high Table Mountain slamming into rocks below fewer than 10 seconds later at 120mph.
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Brendan Weinstein, 32, (pictured) died after diving off Table Mountain in South Africa
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Weinstein, from Utah, USA, was a highly experienced diver and a world expert in the sport, having completed over 1600 wingsuit flights, 800 BASE jumps and 1000 parachute jumps
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Wilderness Search & Rescue and SanParks rangers were alerted and sent teams along with a helicopter to search the front of the mountain for his body
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Wilderness Search & Rescue and SanParks rangers were alerted and sent teams along with a helicopter to search the front of the mountain for his body.
The terribly injured pilot was found at 10am and airlifted by helicopter off Table Mountain to an ambulance surrounded by tourists on to the road below.
Former SA skydiver Jeff Ayliffe says the jump was highly technical and that Weinstein had reportedly flown directly from the US to the site without consulting local base jumpers.
Mr Ayliffe said: ‘He hadn’t contacted any of the local base jumping fraternity to speak to them about this exit point, and this exit point has been jumped many times successfully.
‘It is a very technical jump, however, and it had very sad consequences.
‘Brendan Weinstein is considered one of the most experienced base jumpers in the world and he has a huge following in America.
‘His technical ability is incredible – he’s done many, many jumps. This is only our third BASE jumping death in South Africa.
‘These guys are very cognisant of the risk they are taking,’ he said.
Weinstein landed in large boulders close to a popular hiking trail in Table Mountains (pictured)
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Weinstein is considered to be one of the most experienced base jumpers in the world and has a huge following in America
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His jumps have previously been featured by the likes of GoPro, Red Bull, Roam and MSN
On the BASE Fatal List on the wingsuit community web page, Weinstein is listed as death number 147 since records began in 1983.
South Africa Police spokesman Constable Ndakhe Gwala said: ‘A man suffered fatal injuries when he jumped from the summit of Table Mountain.
‘He will have to be identified by DNA as the injuries to his face were too severe.’
The dead wingsuit pilot’s website states: ‘Weinstein’s flights consistently captured the attention of the world and have been featured by GoPro, Red Bull, Roam, Marginal Revolution and MSN and many others’.
BASE jumping, a sport in which participants leap from cliffs, bridges, or buildings before deploying a parachute, remains extremely dangerous despite advances in equipment.
Wingsuit jumping takes BASE jumping a stage further, with a specialised suit with fabric stretched between the arms and legs, allowing the jumper to glide horizontally and control their descent before deploying a parachute.
BASE stands for Buildings, Antennas, Spans (bridges), or Earth (cliffs).
A spokesman for Wilderness Search and Rescue said the search involved numerous ground teams and a helicopter to try and find his body.
He said: ‘We located the crashed pilot just before 10am but tragically he was deceased and his recovery was handled with care and sensitivity.
‘It is illegal to jump off Table Mountain and it brings huge danger not only to the person jumping off but hundreds hiking the trails below.’
Brendan’s partner Kivia Martins posted a photo of them together with their son on Facebook as she broke the news to his thousands of fans.
She wrote: ‘Dear friends, on January 5, at about 9am in Cape Town, South Africa, we lost Brendan far too soon.
‘He was deeply loved and he left a powerful mark on so many people.
‘One day I want our son Eiger to be able to know his father through the memories of those who knew him, the moments, the stories, the impact he had on others.
‘Please share a memory, a few words, or photos of Brendan if you feel comfortable doing so which will be shared with our son when he is older.’
‘Thank you for helping me preserve who Brendan was. It truly means more than I can express,’ his devastated Brazilian partner said.
Brendan began skydiving in 2010 as a teenager and in 2015 he set up a company called BaseBeta to help those interested in the sport.
In 2016 he was recognised for extreme flying on difficult terrain lines and was a star performer in the World Wing Suit League.
He had flown in the USA, Brazil, Turkey, China and the Swiss Alps but his luck ran out when he launched himself off Table Mountain.
Hundreds of tourists were waiting below for the cable car as Brendan plummeted down the side of the iconic mountain to his death.
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