The extreme sports world is in mourning after one of its most celebrated figures, Brendan Weinstein, was killed during a solo wingsuit flight from South Africa's iconic Table Mountain. The 32-year-old American pilot, a star in the Red Bull stable, impacted rocks at an estimated 120mph less than ten seconds after jumping, in full view of horrified tourists on Monday morning.
A Fatal Descent from an Iconic Landmark
Weinstein, a highly experienced adventurer from Utah, USA, had travelled to Cape Town alone to attempt the technically demanding flight. It is believed he took a cable car to the summit at approximately 9am on January 5, concealing his wingsuit and parachute from staff who would have prevented the illegal jump. After a 15-minute walk to a known launch point, he leapt from the 1,086-metre high plateau.
Dozens of hikers, including British and American tourists, reported hearing shouts from above before witnessing the catastrophic impact. Weinstein slammed into large boulders close to a popular trail, fortunately away from the path itself. His extensive experience, which included over 1,600 wingsuit flights, 800 BASE jumps, and 1,000 parachute jumps, was not enough to avert the tragedy.
Search, Recovery, and Community Reaction
Wilderness Search & Rescue teams, alongside SanParks rangers, were immediately alerted. A major operation involving ground teams and a helicopter located his body just before 10am. The critically injured pilot was airlifted to a waiting ambulance on the road below, surrounded by onlookers.
Local experts expressed shock, noting Weinstein had not consulted the South African BASE jumping community about the perilous 'exit point'. Former skydiver Jeff Ayliffe stated, 'He hadn't contacted any of the local base jumping fraternity... It is a very technical jump, however, and it had very sad consequences.' Ayliffe highlighted that this was only the third recorded BASE jumping fatality in the country.
On the wingsuit community's BASE Fatal List, Weinstein is recorded as fatality number 147 since records began in 1983. A spokesman for the rescue services emphasised the dangers of such illegal acts, stating they pose a risk not only to the jumper but to the hundreds of hikers on the trails below.
A Legacy Cut Short
Brendan Weinstein leaves behind his partner, Kivia Martins, and their baby son, Eiger. Martins shared the devastating news on social media, asking friends to share memories so their son could one day know his father. Weinstein began skydiving as a teenager in 2010 and later founded BaseBeta, a company aimed at mentoring others in the sport. His daring flights had been featured by major brands including GoPro and Red Bull.
South African police confirmed the man suffered fatal injuries and would require DNA identification due to the severity of facial trauma. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the extreme risks inherent in wingsuit BASE jumping, a sport where participants leap from fixed objects and use a specialised suit to glide before deploying a parachute.
