Crews narrow search area for skydiver missing near Mt. Si
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NORTH BEND, Wash. (AP) - A more focused search for a skydiver who vanished during a jump above Washington's Cascade foothills failed to locate the Florida man as darkness fell Saturday.
About 145 searchers combed the Mount Si area east of Seattle for 29-year-old Kurt Ruppert, who disappeared Thursday afternoon after he jumped out of a helicopter at 6,500 feet.
King County sheriff's Sgt. Cindi West said they looked specifically in a quarter-mile-square area near the summit, but kept searching other areas as well.
At the time of the jump, Ruppert, of Lake City, Fla., was wearing a special wing suit with fabric under the arms to allow him to glide like a flying squirrel. The suit is brown and green, and likely blends into the terrain, though his parachute was reportedly blue.
He was skydiving with two friends, and they were taking turns jumping from the helicopter. The friends were waiting at a grassy landing area, but no one saw whether Ruppert's chute deployed.
West said they made the decision to narrow the search area based on the flight pattern of the helicopter he jumped from and information from his cellphone's location just before the jump.
She expected the search to resume at dawn Sunday.
Searchers were hoping Ruppert was stuck in a tree with his parachute or perhaps lost in rugged state-owned land around 4,200-foot Mount Si, West said.
Ruppert has been skydiving seven or eight years and is good at handling a wing suit, said a friend, Art Shaffer, owner of Skydive Palatka in Palatka, Fla.
Shaffer jumped with Ruppert at midnight on New Year's Eve and said Ruppert left Tuesday to jump with friends in Washington.
Ruppert is not married and once owned a landscaping business, said Shaffer, who is in contact with Ruppert's family and friends.
About 145 searchers combed the Mount Si area east of Seattle for 29-year-old Kurt Ruppert, who disappeared Thursday afternoon after he jumped out of a helicopter at 6,500 feet.
King County sheriff's Sgt. Cindi West said they looked specifically in a quarter-mile-square area near the summit, but kept searching other areas as well.
At the time of the jump, Ruppert, of Lake City, Fla., was wearing a special wing suit with fabric under the arms to allow him to glide like a flying squirrel. The suit is brown and green, and likely blends into the terrain, though his parachute was reportedly blue.
He was skydiving with two friends, and they were taking turns jumping from the helicopter. The friends were waiting at a grassy landing area, but no one saw whether Ruppert's chute deployed.
West said they made the decision to narrow the search area based on the flight pattern of the helicopter he jumped from and information from his cellphone's location just before the jump.
She expected the search to resume at dawn Sunday.
Searchers were hoping Ruppert was stuck in a tree with his parachute or perhaps lost in rugged state-owned land around 4,200-foot Mount Si, West said.
Ruppert has been skydiving seven or eight years and is good at handling a wing suit, said a friend, Art Shaffer, owner of Skydive Palatka in Palatka, Fla.
Shaffer jumped with Ruppert at midnight on New Year's Eve and said Ruppert left Tuesday to jump with friends in Washington.
Ruppert is not married and once owned a landscaping business, said Shaffer, who is in contact with Ruppert's family and friends.
It is obvious that he was not from this area. Mt. Si in the winter is wicked at times. I think that was a real poor choice of places to jump into. I guess if this man happens to survive (most likely not) he will talk about this for the rest of his life. I hope they do find him alive.
As usual, people are complaining about search and rescue costs, despite that they would love for their own family members to be rescued in time of need, even if they had made some not so wise choices. What I would like to point out is that in most cases people have not asked to be rescued. So, who do you charge... the friends who called it in? You can't charge someone for help that was not requested. Should we have everyone file forms stating their SAR preferences? It would all get ridiculous. I would rather have my taxes spent on this heliccopter than on planes to fly the politicians around!
 @justathought taking a hike vs jumping out of a plane are way different sorry
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most people go there whole life and never jump out of a plane the vast majority
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very few go there whole life without taking a hike in mother nature
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are you not understanding the difference here?
@justathought Of course we all want folks rescued in time of need. But there are folks who, by participation in certain know high risk activties increase their odds of needing assistance. i have both skydived and mountain climbed here in the NW. And knowing the risks full well, would still advocate some sort of insurance. When the national guard is called out for a rescue on Mt. Rainier, it is tax dollars - you can also call it "training", but it is still costly.
@jennieb What is the implication if you don't have the insurance?
no implication. . . because currently insurance is not mandated. but it would not be far fetched to require for instance folks registering to climb Mt Rainier, to purchase a policy.  an additional cost? ok, but climbing is already a relatively expensive sport.
I'd say the chute didn't open and am somewhat surprised that nobody was there to spot for something like this. I don't jump but do ride motorcycles for sport and know that some sports can be danegerous.  One should be prepared and it appears tlo me that perhaps things here were not as good as they could have been? Â
It still never ceases to amaze me on how people love to take greater and greater risks just for a "thrill". Jumping over mountainous, extremely heavily forested terrain as it is around North Bend is just about the dumbest thing that a skydiver can plan. I pray that his family finds some kind of peace in this mess, but as for Kurt, it is really hard to have any sympathy. Jumping in that area is just stupid.....period! My best wishes and prayers really go out to the volunteers who are risking their butts looking for this "individual". Please be safe!!!
Speaking as a Sar Volunteer myself I will tell you that in no way shape or form was any VOLUNTEER payed for what was done today at Mt. Si. What we do is all volunteer and done with no compinsation. We take time out of our daily lives and families with no pay so that others can have a chance at being rescued. Weather it be an extreme sport, a Sunday hike, a drive in the woods, all can end up needing a rescue. Were not particular or judgemental about who needs rescuing and why. We do what we do for those in need. Our subjects do not put our lives in danger. Safety is our number one concern. Were trained and have the skills needed to do what we do. I would hope that if any of your family is ever in need that someone would come take time out of their lives to help your family member or even yourself. We do what we do so others can live.
With all due respect, you don't know what you're talking about. The SAR helicopters cost the taxpayers $3000.00 an hour to operate. The Sheriff deputies on average cost $110.00 an hour. Don't even try to tell me that there were no deputies on scene, because there is always plenty, and most are on duty and getting pulled away from to help. On average, a SAR operation that lasts 3-4 days will cost the county $90,000 -$120,000. Just out of curiousity...who feeds all the SAR volunteers? Do you pack in all your food, or does the county provide some meals? You and most of the searchers may be volunteers, and yes you don't get paid, but don't be so naive...there is still a hefty cost to the county and their taxpayers. I used to be in the Civil Air Patrol and assisted in may of these operations as well....don't try to tell us there's no risk associated with SAR...I've seen plenty of searchers get injured...mostly minor injuries, but there's been some serious injuries and even occasional deaths. Think before you write.
Nobody is debating that he (or anybody else that does something stupid) doesn't deserve to be rescued, so enough with the guilt trip. Of course everybody is worthy of being rescued no matter how stupid they were. I think the argument is what to do with the large bills associated with these SAR activities. Should they be billed? Should they get insurance to cover their risky behavior? Should the taxpayers just swallow the costs?
What do you define as hefty? 145 unpaid searchers, who bring their own equipment, pay for their own gas, food while they are on the trail +Â 2-3 deputies (who have other duties normally), maybe some gas for the county generators. And this is a very large search, not very common.Â
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The helicopters get plenty of use chasing bad guys, we don't try to recover the fuel cost from the criminals do we? Why not start with them, they're bad people with evil intent. What about people riding motorcycles (reckless!!) and we have to pay to clean up after their accidents.
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Searchers are fed by a volunteer group, the soup ladies.
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It is the height of stupidity to consider charging people for rescue. It won't change people's behavior before they get into trouble. It WILL cause them to delay calling 911, increasing the effort, time pressure and danger to rescuers.
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There are no large bills associated with it. Search and rescue is a VERY small part of the Sheriff's budget.
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Also, under state law, there is no scope to charge for rescue activities. The only potential way to recover rescue costs is associated with people who get convicted of a DUI, and even that is capped at some very low $ figure.
A man from Florida, not used to mountainous terrian, temps in the teens at 6500 feet, let alone wind chill factors, and shute not to open until 2000 feet--above what? a 4200 foot mountain???? !!!
 @rockhound check your footage
we really should outlaw civilian parachute ownership. other than killing lots of people every year what is the purpose of parachutes in society outside of military use?
yeah, hopefully they'll "protect" us with some wing-suite control legislation... maybe if only the politicians and celebrities can ownership... they'll thin themselves out a bit.
@dorimonsonfan It is an extreme sport which many folks enjoy. . .like mountain climbing. that said, i do believe insurance should be mandatory for extreme sports, because i have a problem with taxpayer funded rescues.
@dorimonsonfan  He's trolling in all the articles guys... turning everything into a "ban guns" comment.Â
 @lakeview but he is doing it better than most others and that deserves recognition ;-)
@dorimonsonfan Just outlaw LIFE. Then nobody would ever get killed.Â
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 @dorimonsonfan I agree. We should also outlaw cars, guns, airplanes, walking, sleeping, alcohol, cigarettes, eating any type of food, swimming, trains, boats, buildings taller than 10 feet, electricity, chainsaws, trees, lawnmowers, dogs, sharks, bears, hiking, charcoal, tents, cribs, showers, bathtubs, knives, fireworks... I mean, those things kill people too!Â
I'm with all of you. While we're at it, we should outlaw my 7-layer dip as well.
 @Dylandawg  @sunnysandiego  @Dylandawg yeah but can you get a seahawks jersey for 13 bucks at target.  think not.
And all fruitcakes.
 @Dylandawg  @sunnysandiego  @Dylandawg Hehehehe :) GO HAWKS!!!!
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@sunnysandiego @Dylandawg Hey at least Seattle has a team to enjoy our 7-layer dip with. Chargers? Ummmm, not so much. :)
 @Dylandawg you are a 7_layer dip.  So as of now you are outlawed
 @dorimonsonfan Amen.
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other than a death wish I am not sure. Â And to do it in the middle of winter on a freezing day is pretty much assurance you might get your wish if anything goes awry
Shouldn't his phone be a pretty reliable and accurate tracking tool here? I really hope they find him alive, time is running out.
 @SoTweetie Possibly the cell phone is only good for tracking if it's actually in use...so it may be that they can triangulate the last use, but that could be many miles off.
 @commenter87643:Â
Or until the battery dies...
The device used to tell the flyer the altitude, does it adjust to the height of the terain or does the flyer have to adjust it? I remember many small airplanes crashing because the pilot didn't readjust after landing in high altitudes.
 @dmw2913 It depends on the model you have. Some adjust but they're much more expensive. Even the nice ones have +/- 550 feet or so altitude adjustment. (i.e. if you're really at 1500 feet it could show you're between 950-2050)
My first thought anyone who does this in this kind of weather is NUTS.
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after reading the article it became clear to me he wasn't nuts, he just wanted some nuts.
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"The 29-year-old from Lake City, Fla., was wearing a special wing suit with fabric under the arms to allow him to glide like a flying squirrel."
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One would think after 3 days a simple math equation involving speed, height, distance along with wind speed and direction would give seachers a fairly close area to look which is all part of skydiving..
 @Windowseat That would be true if he were flying a known path, but no-one saw him flying.  Maybe he went the totally opposite direction.  You can cover a lot of ground in 4-6 thousand feet in a wingsuit.
@wrightskyguy @Windowseat He could turn on a dime. Now which way should they search?
So, we the taxpayers are footing the bill for the Sherriff's department participating in this multi-day search. Why are there no requirements for a "rescue/retrival" bond on people that do these sort of activities? If they do not need services, they get their $$$ back when they complete their activity, but if they DO need services, this would help to pay for them. This guy, the hang gliders off Tiger Mountain, people who go "out of bounds" in ski areas to ski & snow board, mountain climbers - all activites that in the past year have required rescues or recovery. I realize that some of the efforts are by volunteer S&R people, but in this instance, that is not the case.
@LocalLady 98% of the manpower on rescues are unpaid volunteers. They provide their own food, clothing, equipment, radios, equipment and communication vans. A little more than "some". Sometimes the county pays for food, but only on larger/extended missions.
@LocalLady I agree. Basically anything out of the ordinary or a rare emergency beyond your control such as a downed aircraft. We are broke already. A bond could be paid and lewft in place for frequent high risk adventureres
Speaking As a Volunteer in a Sar unit, I know we are all there as Volunteers. In no way shape or form are we paid or compinsated. We are not paid on duty or paid off. We take time out of our daily lives and time away from our family so we can help whoevever it may be in need. I know I have been on search missions that have lasted for days without any complaints from my family yet others here sit back and complain. How Sad. Our missing subjects never put us in harms way. We choose to rescue, we choose to save lives. Were trained and have the knowledge to do what we do.
. I and my fellow Sar members give back so others can live. Â
It is a net positive for taxpayers and the county. The sheriff's office could never afford to pay searchers anything, they have enough trouble keeping the streets safe on their tight budgets. Search and rescue also help with urban search and evidence searches, which keep deputies on the streets chasing bad guys. For the services provided to the community (by the community!) the cost to the county/taxpayers is minimal.
 @N.W.Reader Thank you for what you do.  I think maybe the ones who complain the loudest do the least. Â
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@LocalLady These rescue people are either volunteers or they are being paid whether they are in rescue mode or not. But the fuel for the helicopters, and any overtime pay we'd be paying for I assume.Â
 @lakeview about 600$ per hour of flight
 @LocalLady I'll be sure to remember that when you get lost sometime. I'll let the LE officers know you wouldn't want them spending any money on you.Â
 @BravesPackersCougzSounders  @LocalLady sorry I am all for searching for hikers who get lost in the wonderfully beautiful great Northwest wilderness.
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To encourage people not to get out into it would be a travesty and a waste of natural breath taking beauty.
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But seriously are we comparing a hike in the cascades to someone jumping out of an airplane in the middle of winter on a bad day.
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Anyone who jumps out of an airplane knows that death is part of the experience sometimes and that one falls on him.
 @sunnysandiego  @BravesPackersCougzSounders  @LocalLady Everyone that goes hiking knows that death could be part of the experience..   and if they don't they're deceiving themselves.
@BravesPackersCougzSounders :Not a problem. I have always taken responsibility for my actions, and have never put myself into a situation where I could not take care of myself, that I would "need" rescuing from. Therefore, there would be no need for LE to go looking for me.
@Dylandawg SAR volunteers know what they are doing. There is always risk involved. As with driving on 405. They are taught their own safety is #1 priority, and not to become a new rescue mission.
@Komo Dragon:Â
First off, I never said anything about others should not do something simply because I do not do it. What I DID say was they need to take some responsibility for the consequences of their actions.
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Citing first respondon ers is not even close to the same sort of situation - we all pay taxes that su[pporyt them, so we are all "paying" for those services whether we actually use them or not.
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I was not "judging" - I was simply pointing out that actions & decisions have consequences, and that when those consequences end up resulting in something loike this thayt perhaps those taking the actions should have some skin in the game (so to speak). No need for a rescue? Great., you get your bond back. You are not out anything.
 @LocalLady  @BravesPackersCougzSounders So, if you get into a car accident..  should the EMT's check for insurance before or after the police determine if the accident was your fault or not?
@Robarts in Florida Well firefighters know what they're getting into as well, but that doesn't mean that you can burn your house down and not expect to be charged with murder if one of them dies trying to put out the fire you set. There is always a certain amount of risk in SAR activities...just because there's risk, it doesn't mean they shouldn't try to find him. Dead or alive.
@Dylandawg How can you say tha Kurt put SAR lives in danger? Doesn't SAR know what they are getting into just like you say Kurt did. You are speaking out of both sides of your mouth. But then you are making the choice to eat your dip so if you get choked make sure no one tries to help you out since it was your choice to eat the dip.
 @LocalLady  @BravesPackersCougzSounders How about a car accident? Fire/EMS/Police will help anyone in trouble, no matter how stupid, irresponsible, or simply unlucky a person is. Just because you don't skydive it doesn't mean others should not or should have to pay special insurance. How about some solidarity instead of judgement?
@wrightskyguy @LocalLady Send us a link to the Go Pro video you guys were shooting. I always find it fascinating to watch people put their lives in so much danger doing these crazy things. I watched some video of Kurts past jumps...I was amazed how close he came to those edges.Very gutsy!! Stupid, but gutsy. How close was he flying to Mt. Si? Well I wish the best for Kurt. I hope he's still alive, but my gut tells me he crashed into that mountain before deploying his chute.
 @LocalLady You know what? I'm sorry that I let my emotions drag me down into the mud with the negative folks posting here.  I won't do it again.  Instead I'd like to thank all of the folks, volunteers and otherwise who are spending so much of their time and energy looking for Kurt.  We are grateful and will not give up hope.  Bless you all for your efforts.
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@LocalLady @wrightskyguy Wrightskyguy is the type that takes no personal responsibility for himself or his actions. He thinks that he's owed something in life. I don't subscribe to this socialist attitude. The government doesn't need to coddle fools like you. Everyone needs to take responsibility for their actions. I'm quite sure this guy already paid for his Go Pro stunt with his life, so there's not much we can do at this point...hopefully this is a wake-up call for narcissistic folks like skyguy....you also put SAR lives in danger trying to rescue you just because you are a selfish twit.
@BravesPackersCougzSounders @LocalLady This isn't someone who simply lost himself in the woods. This idiot actually made a choice to jump out of a helicopter with a squirrel suit on, right next to Mt. Si, fully intending to fly as close to the ridges of Mt. Si as he possibly could. Well this time it didn't work out so well for him. I'm quite sure he attempted to fly right over a ridge as close as he possibly could, misjudged it and went SPLAT!!! Mt. Si won. Folks this is reckless behavior, and the taxpayers shouldn't be on the hook for this bill. Â Â Â
Now I need to get back to my 7-layer dip recipe and get prepared for the football game on the couch.
@wrightskyguyÂ
Why do you presume that I am "angry"? I am simply saying is that IF you take such risks as this, that would require you to be resucued, you at LEAST be responsible for that. How is that being "angry"?
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I was raised to believe that in ALL things, I am responsible for what I get myself into - I do not take chances that could result in a a "bad outcome" without realizing that that outvcome is MY problem, my responsibility, because my actions are what caused it.
@wrightskyguy @BravesPackersCougzSounders @LocalLady Cough, cough, cough, choke choke choke...I just chocked to death on my 7-layer dip that I loved more dearly than life itself. Oh well, at least I died doing something I loved.
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Well this is one Go Pro video that wont be making it's way to You Tube. Go Pro...be a zero...ooops I meant hero.
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 @nunof uors  @BravesPackersCougzSounders  @LocalLady Aww okay so if you're driving to a Mariners game and get into an accident, the firefighters and paramedics shouldn't help you because you were risking your life driving to a game? Got it....