CAPE TOWN – World wingsuiting champion Jean Jacques Wallis, 35, died in a crash on South Africa’s Lion’s Head mountain during a test flight Tuesday evening. The South African aviator was piloting a Flare Mustache parakite, a hybrid wing designed for high winds, when he lost control and impacted a rock cliff.
Wallis, a veteran of over two decades in aerial sports including paragliding, skydiving, BASE jumping, and wingsuiting, had recently achieved a career peak, winning gold in Target Strike at the World Wingsuit League Grand Prix in China this fall and placing fourth in slalom.
More than 30 members of the Wilderness Search and Rescue unit responded to the 7:00 p.m. accident alert, utilizing technical rope systems to recover Wallis’ body from the steep terrain.
“The purpose of the investigation is not to find the culprit, but to prevent further tragedies,” stated Louis stanford, spokesman for the South African Paragliding and Hang Gliding Association.
The Civil Aviation Authority is investigating Wallis’ flight path, equipment condition, weather conditions, and potential technical issues with the Flare Mustache wing. Authorities are requesting any video footage or photos from witnesses.
Wingsuit BASE jumping is statistically one of the world’s most dangerous sports, with approximately 1 death per 500 jumps, compared to roughly 1 in 120,000 for traditional skydiving. Wallis’ death is the latest in a series of recent tragedies within the extreme aerial sports community; in August, American Kirk Hawkins died in a wingsuit crash in the Swiss Alps, and in June, 24-year-old Liam Byrne died jumping from Mount Gitschen in the Urner Alps.
