Elsinore Accident
Geronimo
http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/10015879_PE_NEWS_nskydiv26.html
Man, 61, killed in sky diving accident
11/26/2001
LAKE ELSINORE - A 61-year-old man died
in a sky diving accident Sunday afternoon when his parachute
failed to
open, a Riverside County Fire Department dispatcher said.
The Anaheim man's name was not released.
The man was part of a parachuting group with a local company,
believed
to be Skydive Elsinore, said Jody Hagemann, a dispatcher with
Riverside County Fire Department.
The man landed in the parking lot of a used car business near
Mission
Trail and Lemon Street.
--
Geronimo
mailto:Gero...@ParachuteHistory.com
http://www.ParachuteHistory.com
Paul Quade
(http://www.skydivenet.com/fatalities/), but I'm not certain where he got the
information from.
Reports I saw last night on TV seemed to suggest a main mal, but the fatalities
page has it listed as a medical no pull and Cypres near save.
Paul
"Geronimo" <Gero...@ParachuteHistory.com> wrote in message
news:3C02B02B...@ParachuteHistory.com...
> Does anyone have any more details?
--
Posted from proxy2.disney.com [204.128.192.51]
via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG
Paul Quade
This just in from the Orange County Register;
Skydiver dies after chute failure
November 26, 2001
The Orange County Register
LAKE ELSINORE -- An Anaheim man whose parachute did not open died Sunday when
he fell into the yard of a downtown auto business, authorities said.
Gerald Helms, 61, was among a group of parachutists who had taken off from an
airport two miles from C & T Auto Sales. The accident was reported at 12:48
p.m., said Riverside County Sheriff's Deputy Lisa McConnell.
"His chute did not open by mechanical failure or other means," said Curtis
James, deputy coroner in Riverside County.
"Geronimo" <Gero...@ParachuteHistory.com> wrote in message
news:3C02B02B...@ParachuteHistory.com...
> Does anyone have any more details?
--
A7WIENS
someone looking at a container that looked like the reserve was still in the
container and the comment was the main failed.
I guess it scared some lady shopping for a used car quite a bit, "The parachute
nearly hit her." was the comment from the whuffo they interviewed.
My heart goes out to all involved-
Blue Skies and Calm Seas,
Andrew
Geronimo
>
> What follows is a quick impression based on the TV footage last night. They had
> someone looking at a container that looked like the reserve was still in the
> container and the comment was the main failed.
more than likely - that was 'file footage' for some other time and/or
place.
>
> I guess it scared some lady shopping for a used car quite a bit, "The parachute
> nearly hit her." was the comment from the whuffo they interviewed.
>
from 'a reliable source':
Jerry Helms
No pull, cypres fire, brakes still set, hard landing, medical problems
are a
distinct possibility, investigation pending.
Jerry started jumping in the 1960's.
Also if someone runs into Bob Sinclair over at Coolidge, please let him
know about Jerry. Bob was yakking with a friend of mine the other day
about Jerry. My friend said, 'Yes, we were good friends in those early
days out at Elsinore, during times when jumpers were raucous, truly
raucous, but Jerry was always a soft spoken
gentleman.'
Blue Skies to All.
Kevin Lange
> from 'a reliable source':
> Jerry Helms
> No pull, cypres fire, brakes still set, hard landing, medical problems
> are a
> distinct possibility, investigation pending.
>
although the 'authorities' say that there was a malfunction... that the
'chute did not open...' this report still coincides with the above mentioned
information... which is very similar to what the fatalities web site says.
is there anyone or any interest in the skydiving community to address the
misrepresentation of skydiving accidents to the greater public?
Geronimo
Hey Kevin..
You are a new guy right?
Well, the thing is that on fatalities, the press is rarely right in what
it says, especially when it says 'the parachute failed to open' That's a
BIG tip off that they don't understand the situation.
Every jumper I know would like to see the press write their stories more
accurately.
Problem is that most jumpers do not like talking to the press right
after an accident, especially when one of their friends just died.
Some DZs have a PR person, most do not. Some DZs direct reporters to
call USPA HQ. They have someone removed from the accident that can take
the time to help reporters get the story, statistics etc. But USPA HQ
lags in the timeline. A reporter cannot get a hold of someone at HQ on a
Sunday afternoon.
Most of the time 'authorities' such as police, emergency teams do not
have a clue on skydiving accident. At some places, for instance Skydance
in N Ca., the DZ invites the local emergency crew to visit with the DZ
staff, explain skydiving and equipment yadda yadda. This allows the
EMT's to be a bit less aggressive in slicing & dicing someone's rig -
just cuz they broke an ankle. And gives them info on scenarios where the
jumper hits hard & fast - instant death.
Also the staff can get refresher CPR & first aid courses. - stuff like
that.
The press stories sucked on this one.
LORD OF THE SKY
Paul Quade <qu...@usa.net> wrote in message
news:70c47664906211dd2b6...@mygate.mailgate.org...
> Reports I saw last night on TV seemed to suggest a main mal,
That is saddening.
>but the fatalities
> page has it listed as a medical no pull and Cypres near save.
What the hell is a "near save"?
This ain't horshoes.
"Treetop" a.k.a. LORD OF THE SKY
Paul Quade
I mean that the Cypres did it's function of deploying the reserve, but
obviously wasn't able to land the parachute for the jumper.
If the reports are correct and had the jumper lived, I'd call it a save.
Paul
in article 9tutg...@enews1.newsguy.com, LORD OF THE SKY at
lord...@ellijay.com wrote on 11/26/01 6:28 PM:
Joseph Walther
"Paul Quade" <qu...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:B8285712.39B9%qu...@earthlink.net...
> I actually used that term with you and a few others in mind. By "near
save"
> I mean that the Cypres did it's function of deploying the reserve, but
> obviously wasn't able to land the parachute for the jumper.
Walther responds...
Paul, is the term "near save" something like the terms "true facts", "a
little bit pregnant", "very dead" as opposed to just "dead"? :-)
> If the reports are correct and had the jumper lived, I'd call it a save.
Walther responds...
I understand this. However, had the jumper lived, we probably wouldn't be
talking about this. The jumper is "dead". Or, perhaps he's "very dead".
We'll all just have to wait until the "true facts" come out to confirm this
"near Save".
Regards
Walther
Paul Quade
It was simply a shorthand term for what has turned out to be a much longer
explaination for the terminally arguementative.
I thought that any reasonably intelligent individual would have understood
the meaning and I assume that people such as yourself actually -do-
understand the meaning -- especailly since you've quoted the explaination!
So, um, anyway, Treetop understood . . . I figured that was a good sign.
Paul
in article HcFM7.261542$5A3.99...@news1.rdc2.pa.home.com, Joseph Walther
at jlwal...@home.com wrote on 11/26/01 9:07 PM:
Kevin Lange
> ...Most of the time 'authorities' such as police, emergency teams do not
> have a clue on skydiving accident. At some places, for instance Skydance
> in N Ca., the DZ invites the local emergency crew to visit with the DZ
> staff, explain skydiving and equipment yadda yadda. This allows the
> EMT's to be a bit less aggressive in slicing & dicing someone's rig -
> just cuz they broke an ankle. And gives them info on scenarios where the
> jumper hits hard & fast - instant death.
>
> Also the staff can get refresher CPR & first aid courses. - stuff like
> that.
>
> The press stories sucked on this one.
> Also the staff can get refresher CPR & first aid courses. - stuff like
> that.
>
> The press stories sucked on this one.
kevin wrote:
thank you for the elaboration. these are some of the things i wonder
about... and the fact that divers are affected immediately and quite often
personally is something i didn't heade necessarily, as in, the community of
skydivers in the US is actually pretty small... and i would imagine that
everyone at the very least knows someone who knew mr helms... and very many
knew him personally. one thing i certainly would NOT want to do is to show
any lack of respect for the events that occurred. my flinch response was to
be pissed at the 'press' for the coverage... in that b/c the main wasn't
opened, they said it 'failed,' rather than coupling that information with
the fact that the reserve was open... which leads to the more likely
explanation of a med-no-pull. of course... what whuffo understands what a
cypres is/or does? your email helped shed some light on the bureaucracy
surrounding the representation of a skydiving fatality in the mainstream
press, and how skydivers and/or the uspa is able to address it. i guess in
some respects, it really does not matter what the greater world knows about
skydiving... it just is that they tend to disrespect the truth, and that
sucks.
yes, i am new to the endeavor of skydiving, as you noted. i am very
enthusiastic, and hopefully not to a fault. i am learning not only about
skydiving, but as well about those who are truly SKYDIVERS. so again thanks
for taking the time for the elaboration. i am getting an education to be
sure!
kevin
Lenoggle
Larry Noggle
freeflyer
TY
freeflyer wrote:
> Larry Noggle wrote:
>
> > The uppers were 50 MPH
>
> I don't get it.
I figured he was trying to explain the part where the guy landed 2 miles
away from the DZ.
freeflyer
He could have landed two miles out without 50MPH uppers.
Perhaps I just don't see that as important information.
I'd be interested to know if everyone else landed on the dz
though. If one person is 2 miles out, chances are others
were too, and that's usually caused by a long jumprun and/or
a bad spot.
Paul Quade
Gerald Helms had a heart condition that may have caused the accident.
November 27, 2001
By VIK JOLLY
The Orange County Register
ANAHEIM -- Talk about sweeping a woman off her feet.
Thirty-five years ago, Gerald Helms planted a surprise kiss on his sweetheart's
lips about 12,000 feet above Lake Elsinore as the couple sky-dived.
Soon after the "kiss pass," they married.
Knowing that sky-diving was his passion comforted Joan Helms when she learned
Sunday that her husband plummeted to his death after apparently failing to open
his chute.
"He said if he ever died sky-diving, he'd die doing what he enjoyed doing
best," she said Monday.
Relatives said Riverside County sheriff-coroner officials told them that Helms'
primary chute never deployed.
Relatives believe that Helms lost consciousness. They said an autopsy is
scheduled for Friday.
The plane carrying Helms, 61, took off from a Lake Elsinore-area airfield about
12:30 p.m. Helms fell into the yard of a downtown auto business about two miles
away.
A physical exam Helms took three months ago revealed that he had an enlarged
heart, making him more prone to heart attacks, said C. Gray, a deputy Riverside
County coroner.
Helms never told the doctor who gave him the physical that he sky-dived, nor
would he have listened to suggestions not to pursue his hobby, said Joan Helms.
That's just the way he was, she said.
"He was a very determined man," said Joan Helms, 58, a Fullerton Parks and
Recreation employee.
Gerald Helms took up sky-diving at 18 and became a state-licensed parachute
rigger. For a short time, he had his own rigging shop in the Lake Elsinore
area. Because of his expertise, he worked on the 1968 movie "Gypsy Moths,"
starring Burt Lancaster, Gene Hackman and Deborah Kerr.
After a 30-year hiatus, Gerald Helms returned to sky-diving three years ago
after helping raise three children.
It was too expensive a hobby to pursue while raising a family. Basic gear alone
costs about $3,000.
A sky-diving reunion with old buddies in Palm Springs reinvigorated his fervor,
and Helms got right back into the sport.
On Saturday night, Joan Helms kissed her husband goodnight and goodbye because
he was to leave early Sunday to sky-dive, something he did about twice a month.
Last year he broke his left ankle twice, but that was part of the game. He
wanted to make 1,000 jumps. Sunday's was his 892nd.
Helms had been working as production manager for a printing firm in Los
Angeles, usually putting in about 50-60 hours a week.
When at home, his garage door was open, and he was ready to lend tools to
neighbors on quiet Tango Circle in Anaheim Hills.
At night after dinner, he would sit on his favorite green rocking chair in the
family room and give treats to Sydney, the family's Australian shepherd mix.
Handy around the house, Helms built bookshelves, a case for his wife's spoon
collection and other artifacts that the family will remember him by.
Helms leaves his wife, daughters Julie and Jaylene, son Jim, brother Jim,
mother Lucille and grandson Anthony Shaw.
Recently, he made his wife a water-wheel fountain.
Joan Helms still remembers the day her daredevil husband planned it so they
would be the last two parachuting out of an airplane soaring above Lake
Elsinore so he could kiss her in midair. It was a short kiss, maybe three
seconds.
"We had to watch the altimeter," she said smiling. "We were going down fast."
Services for Helms will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at McAulay & Wallace Mortuaries,
18311 Lemon Drive, Yorba Linda.
In lieu of flowers, the Helms family is requesting donations be made to the
Ronald McDonald House, 383 S. Batavia St., Orange, CA 92868
Don Scott
the car lot where Jerry landed.
Jerry was part of a 2 way that exited after we did. During the dive his
partner was side bodied on Jerry and They started spining. Jerry's dive
partner could not stop the spin so he let go. As this was the end of the
dive He turned and tracked away. When we landed Jerry was missing and we
started loking for him.
Don
"freeflyer" <free...@freeflyer.no> wrote in message
news:3C03C311...@freeflyer.no...
Tim A
> Man who died sky-diving was pursuing his passion
> Gerald Helms had a heart condition that may have caused the accident.
What more can be said, it looks like he was a happy man, who knew how to set his
priorities and share himself with others.
Blue skies
Tim A. D-9813
freeflyer
> The rest of the load landed on the DZ.Ground wind was blowing from the DZ to
> the car lot where Jerry landed.
> Jerry was part of a 2 way that exited after we did.
Was the jumprun upwind? And where were you when your group
deployed?
> During the dive his
> partner was side bodied on Jerry and They started spining. Jerry's dive
> partner could not stop the spin so he let go. As this was the end of the
> dive He turned and tracked away. When we landed Jerry was missing and we
> started loking for him.
I'm sorry to hear about the accident. From the account Paul
posted he sounded like a terrific guy.
Joseph Walther
> Joseph --
>
> It was simply a shorthand term for what has turned out to be a much longer
> explaination for the terminally arguementative.
>
> I thought that any reasonably intelligent individual would have understood
> the meaning and I assume that people such as yourself actually -do-
> understand the meaning -- especailly since you've quoted the explaination!
Walther responds...
I understood, Paul. I just couldn't resist the reply, though.
> So, um, anyway, Treetop understood . . . I figured that was a good sign.
Walther responds...
Yes, this is a good sign. However, I happen to know that Treetop is a few
lightyears from dumb, though... :-)
LORD OF THE SKY
Joseph Walther <jlwal...@home.com> wrote in message
news:i0YM7.263167$5A3.10...@news1.rdc2.pa.home.com...
>
>I happen to know that Treetop is a few
> lightyears from dumb, though... :-)
True enough. The question is; light years to dumb or light years past.
Legitimate arguments can be made for either perspective.
That's part of the equation which makes it "Most Excellent
Entertainment"!