bfl-396

Ufuk Isguzarer

BFL#:
396 (14th of the year)

Name:
Ufuk Isguzarer
Date: 21st October 2020
Nationality: Netherlands
Location: Cima Capi , Lake Garda - Italy
Object Type: Earth
COD: Impact (nothing out)
Clothes / Suit: PF Onesie Power
Gear / Parachute: Zak3 / Troll
Age: 35
Skydive Experience: 500-600
BASE Jumps: 130
WS BASE Experience: None
Years/Seasons in Base: 4
Time of day: 12.25pm
Other factors: Unknown
Exit Altitude: 800Metres (2624 Feet)
Conditions: Bright Autumn day
Wind on exit: Very calm

Description:
I write more of just the details that I feel may help the community learn something more from this fatality. Ufuk was in Brento region to begin flying his Onesie Power 20. He was pleased to see me as a familiar face but we were not close friends. I’d jumped with him and his closer friends on two occasions in 2018 & 2019. He told me he had taken 2 or 3 days coaching with IBA, but I have not confirmed this as a fact. He would largely fly solo, in his own bubble, but enjoyed socialising around the packing, bus trips and hikes.

My opinion and the opinion of other jumpers, was that he was flying the suit quite well. He was noted as having a strong push from the student step on exit and consistently flew the suit to main landing.
Myself and two other more experienced friends had already jumped the Cima Capi exit on two previous days, Sunday & Monday.
Ufuk new of this activity and showed small interest but on both these opportunities he chose to remain jumping from Brento main exit. He seemed very adamant at that time.

By Monday evening he was requesting to join us at Pilastro.
The jump was eventful in that a jumper got twists and landed in the talus which caused apprehension at the exit for the remaining jumpers, myself, Uf and a third person.

Ufuk reported that he wasn’t pleased with his exit that followed, he told us he had a ‘weak push’ a little head low, but that he tracked reasonably well after.
He took a day back jumping only Brento main exit during Tuesday.
By Wednesday he learned that I and some friends planned to return to Cima Capi and requested to join us.
He messaged me and informed me that his appartment was in Riva Del Garda and he therefore would meet us at the landing.

Some of our group cancelled last minute in the morning, just through random reasons, tiredness or low motivation.
In the end there were four of us meeting at the landing tunnel. Myself and a very experienced (1900 jumps) friend with whom I had jumped Cima Capi twice already that week, then Uf and another guy (also a debutant to Cima Capi exit)
Conditions were perfect, with very calm winds forecast and a reasonably late change in direction.
The hike was very enjoyable, we were all in good spirits and having friendly relations all round. We were not rushing and took two rests. At exit everybody was calm, happy and relaxed, there were no signs of stress.

The two debutantes to Cima Capi were given the express freedom of choice in the exit order and they elected to watch my 2-piece jump and landing, followed by the other non-debutante in the Mono suit.
There was maybe a little bias towards concern for the landing pattern and accuracy requirements rather than the Exit and Freefall requirements, but all were aware of all aspects of the jump and nobody showed excessive concern or duress.

Two tourists requested to film us jumping, from a point on the via ferrata just above. All of us were more than happy and agreed it was ok.
The two debutantes decided between themselves what order they would jump, there was some talk of one of them not liking going last and Uf took the last spot willingly and without any sign of reluctance.

From the landing, 3 of us awaited Ufuk's exit which seemed delayed, eventually being shocked by his unstable body, tumbling uncontrolled straight down the rock drop.
It was distressing and we immediately began declaring quite loudly that it’s looking like fatality...
We are almost 100% certain that from this point there were two quite loud impact sounds resulting in a canopy out in the resting position on the talus. Two of us were quite certain that there was no pull, and that the canopy came out due to one of these impacts... we were already however under duress and in shock.
Services were immediately informed and the body removed.

Being that I knew him more than the others and that I had witnessed the greater length of his fall, I was invited to the police station for interview.
Here, a video from one of the tourists was shown to me. I watched it through only once with no pause and found it quite distressing knowing it was my friend and so soon after the incident and so close to his final moments of life.
The video revealed a side to his demeanour that he had not really displayed or revealed to us at the exit point.
He seemed quite agitated, nervous of course but not excessively scared, but with much over deliberation about foot placements. Resetting his feet and mind often, touching his pilot chute multiple times etc etc.

After a few minutes he executed his exit as we had seen him routinely do and as his friends at home told me he always did.
His arms swing up then down and then launches from two foot static, poised.
What follows I would best describe as not a violent but definitely a strong over rotation leading to clear head low instability... it looks very obviously to anybody who BASE jumps that it is not just steep, but is entirely ‘undesirable’ and with immediate loss of control.
My recollection of this one video play through was hampered by fatigue and unmindfulness maybe however.
He disappears out of sight after a few moments and approx. 5-6 seconds later a large muddled sound is heard, definitely involving an opening of fabric and at least one strong impact.
The video ends with the words ‘scheisse’ as the tourist reaches the sudden conclusion that he has impacted the cliff.

I would very very much like if possible that closer friends and possibly more experienced jumpers retrieve a copy of this video with the permission of Ufuk’s brother-in-law, to possibly put further accuracy on both his state of mind before exit and the execution of the push.

With love



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