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Darwin Awards
2007 Slush Pile

This item was recently submitted by a reader.
Should I include it in the archive?
Vote to tell me what *you* think!

Parachute Pilot Plunges into Pond

2007 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

Powered parachutes, a type of motorized flying machine attached to a parachute, are generally considered difficult to crash--and few crashes that do occur are fatal. However, they can be deadly if crashed in water, where the pilot would become entangled in the wires.

47-year-old Mike Rish of Beech Grove, Indiana was killed when he crashed his powered parachute into a retention pond, 65ft from the shore.

Rish possessed a decade of experience with the machines, but nonetheless decided to defy the FAA's warnings against flying ultralight craft after dark, when altitude becomes difficult to judge.

He flew his parachute out over the 35-ft deep pond at around 11p.m., flew too close to the water, and was drowned, despite the rescue efforts of his friends.

Police speculate that he might have been trying to drag his feet across the surface of the water.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070702/LOCAL/707020385/-1/LOCAL17

Submitted on 07/02/2007

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: Indystar.com; July 2, 2007

Copyright © 2007 DarwinAwards.com

Great? 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Awful?
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>> Moderator Scores <<

James said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
Ten year's experience on an inherently dangerous machine and he defies FAA safety standards? What a mo-roon! Full DA for this fellow...


Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
He was experienced enough to know better than the FAA and wanted to play touch-and-go with the pond in the dark? Well he certainly got what he deserved. Thanks for sending this in!


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