Saturday, January 25, 2014

GoPro footage belonging to tragic BASE jumper Ashley Cosgriff turns up in New South Wales

Police have uncovered GoPro camera footage which could hold the key to explaining a fatal BASE jump in Gippsland last weekend.

Officers were called to the 432m Omega Tower - the tallest structure in Australia - on Saturday, January 25, and discovered the body of 23-year-old Ashley Cosgriff.

The camera, believed to be a GoPro, was attached to Mr Cosgriff's helmet and taken from the scene.

This week Sale detectives travelled to Queensland and interviewed a 32-year-old Gold Coast man.

Police then recovered the footage from an address in New South Wales.

The Gold Coast man is expected to be charged on summons with offences including failing to report a death.

It was believed the man was at the Omega Tower with Mr Cosgriff.

Experienced BASE jumper Gary Cunningham said if the thrillseeker had jumped from the top of the tower he would have had about 10 seconds of freefalling before he needed to pull the parachute.

Mr Cunningham, who has performed 3000 jumps both in Australia and overseas, said the tower's height meant BASE jumpers had time to get themselves out of trouble.

"It should be a safe jump.

"There would have to be some sort of malfunction or jumper error for it to go wrong.

"It could be that the parachute opened too late or did not open or he performed a hard turn near the bottom of the jump and he has dove into the ground."

Mr Cosgriff had performed hundreds of dives from planes at his skydiving club in NSW.

He had also posted videos of his previous perilous stunts on YouTube, including a video of him jumping off a bridge in the US.

The Omega tower at Giffard - some 220km southeast of Melbourne - has been known to attract BASE jumpers from all over the world.

BASE stands for Building, Antenna, Span (bridge), Earth and most jumps are done without authorities permission.

Police are still searching for the culprits of one of the more daring jumps off the Rialto Tower in March 2012.

The four men were dressed in suits and ordered cocktails from a restaurant near the top of the 243m skyscraper, before flinging themselves from a balcony.

They had been drinking at the prestigious Vue de Monde restaurant - on Level 55 of the 56-floor building - before the jump.

Restaurant owner Shannon Bennett said the four men walked into the venue's Lui Bar with travel suitcases and ordered Negroni cocktails before throwing themselves off the building.

Mr Bennett said the men locked the balcony doors behind them so staff couldn't catch them before they made the plunge.


Source:  http://www.heraldsun.com.au/



Cosgriff had performed hundreds of jumps from planes. 
Source: Supplied  


A young  man killed while BASE jumping off the nation's tallest structure in country Victoria will always be remembered for his deep love of adventure. 


Ashley Cosgriff, 23, died when it is believed he leapt off the 432m-tall Omega transmitter tower - more than 100m taller than Melbourne's Eureka Skydeck - near Woodside in the state's west on Saturday.

Police are investigating what happened and whether a parachute mishap was to blame.

With hundreds of jumps under his belt, including a whirlwind trip to America last year to tackle its biggest and most famous buildings and bridges, "Cossie", as he is affectionately known by his mates, knew the dangers of the sport.

So did his family and friends.

But it did not stop the hard-core adventurer - and it certainly did not make it any easier when those who loved him heard the news he had died doing what he loved.

"I just can't believe he is gone," friend Cliff Gallagher told the Herald Sun.

"We spent a lot of time together, going fishing and camping. He's just the happiest bloke who would do anything for you.

"I'm going to miss him so much. I'll never forget him."

Mr Gallagher, 24, lived and worked with Mr Cosgriff in Muswellbrook, NSW, and said his mate would want to be remembered for living life to the full.

"Even though it was a short life, it was a good life," he said.

"He's done a lot of travel and was planning a trip to Europe this year.

"He was absolutely obsessed with base jumping. He knew the risks involved. He had shown me a few videos of his friends who had close calls.

"But it never put him off. He just wanted to go out and enjoy life.

"He was always looking for bigger and better tricks and new things to jump off."

The scaffolder grew up in Queensland on the Gold Coast before moving to Muswellbrook, where he worked in the local mines.

His adrenalin-pumped manner began from an early age atop his BMX, where he would be seen doing flips, whips and 360s in the half-pipes at every chance he could.

But when the rush started to fade, he wanted to scale new heights, and turned his hand at skydiving.

When that proved an expensive hobby, he started base jumping.

The Omega tower - some 220km southeast from Melbourne - has become a popular spot for base jumpers, with many travelling from around the world to make the illegal jump.

Some have spoken on online blogs how it is a treacherous climb of at least an hour to the top of the old transmitter tower, but the view and thrill is worth it.

Mr Cosgriff was understood to be in Victoria for a base jumping trip over the long weekend, but it is not known who he was travelling with.

Police believe he was with at least one other person, who has fled the scene, possibly taking the GoPro camera attached to his helmet, following the tragedy.

Detective Sergeant Ian Marr said they would like to speak with the person who anonymously called in the incident from Stratford, some 60km away, and anyone else who may have been with him that day.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 33 000 or visit www.crimestoppers.com.au

Story, video and photos:   http://www.heraldsun.com.au



 Ashley Cosgriff  died at the Omega Tower near Woodside in Victoria. 
Source: Supplied 



Ashley Cosgriff free-falling during a jump.
 Source: Supplied


 A BASE jumper who plunged to his death from Australia's tallest structure had his helmet removed after dying, police say.  

Emergency services were called to an accident near the Omega tower, a 432m structure at Giffard, about 200km east of Melbourne, just before 2.30pm (AEDT) on Saturday.

Police believe a helmet was removed from the body of the 23-year-old NSW man before emergency services arrived and are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

A mount for a camera was attached to the helmet but the camera was not located at the scene, police said.

Police say the deceased man may have been with other people before he died, however there was no one else at the scene when they arrived.

‘‘If a camera was used, investigators are keen to locate it as it may have information critical to the investigation,’’ a police spokesperson said.

The Omega tower is a well known site for illegal BASE jumping, an activity where people jump from fixed objects and use a parachute to break their fall.

Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullens said ground crews and a helicopter were dispatched but the man was difficult to access.

‘‘It came through as a base jump man in his 20s believed to be deceased,’’ he said.

Emergency services workers had to be directed to the site by people who had been with the man, Mr Mullens said.

‘‘It took a little while to get in,’’ he said. ‘‘He was deceased.’’

Police described the death as a ‘‘parachute incident’’.

The Omega tower, a steel lattice transmitter, is the tallest structure in Australia, more than 100m higher than the Q1 Tower on the Gold Coast and Sydney Tower.

BASE is an acronym for building, antenna, span (bridge), and earth (cliffs) - the four places where jumpers launch from.

Source:   http://www.theage.com.au

A NSW man has died in Victoria in what appears to be a BASE jump gone wrong.

Emergency services were called to an accident near the Omega tower, a 432m structure at Gifford, about 200km east of Melbourne, just before 2.30pm (AEDT) on Saturday.

The Omega tower is a well-known site for illegal BASE jumping, an activity where people jump from fixed objects and use a parachute to break their fall.

Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullens said ground crews and a helicopter were dispatched but the 23-year-old man was difficult to access.

"It came through as a BASE jump man in his 20s believed to be deceased," he said.

Emergency services workers had to be directed to the site by people who had been with the man, Mr Mullens told AAP.

"It took a little while to get in," he said.

"He was deceased."

Police described the death as a "parachute incident".

Mr Mullens said he believed the Omega tower, a navigation antenna and transmitter, was a BASE jump site.

The Omega tower is the tallest structure in Australia, more than 100 metres higher than the Q1 Tower on the Gold Coast and Sydney Tower.

BASE is an acronym for building, antenna, span (bridge), and earth (cliffs) - the four places where jumpers launch from.


Source:    http://news.ninemsn.com.au

No comments:

Post a Comment