Search for skydiver missing near Mount Si on hold
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SEATTLE (AP) - Dozens of searchers on Friday failed to find a skydiver who's been missing since he jumped out of a helicopter at 6,500 feet in the Cascade foothills east of Seattle.
The search for Kurt Ruppert, 29, of Lake City, Fla., was suspended when darkness fell Friday evening, and efforts to locate him will resume Saturday, said King County sheriff's Sgt. Cindi West.
When Ruppert jumped Thursday afternoon, he was wearing a special wing suit with fabric under the arms to allow him to glide like a flying squirrel.
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.
Authorities know the flight pattern of the aircraft, but a number of factors have made it difficult to find Ruppert. West said she was told wing suit flyers don't deploy parachutes until they reach an altitude of 2,000 feet.
"The speed and height of the jump would enable him to travel a large distance in a short amount of time," West said.
About four-dozen people began searching for Ruppert on Thursday, then resumed the effort at daybreak Friday in a 5-square-mile area that includes Mount Si, which is covered with trees on steep slopes. It's popular with hikers even though it can be treacherous.
"We've got a lot of search and rescues up here every year," West said. "It's dangerous and difficult. The footing is bad and there are lots of cliffs."
It was foggy Friday morning, but the weather cleared enough for a helicopter to join the search. The temperature was in the 40s, and Ruppert isn't dressed or equipped to stay out overnight, authorities said.
Ruppert was wearing a brown and green jumpsuit that likely blends into the terrain.
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.
"The guys on the ground could not see where he jumped from their angle, and the pilot couldn't see when he went out the door because he was focused on flying," 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 single and once owned a landscaping business, said Shaffer, who is in contact with Ruppert's family and friends.
"We've got our fingers crossed," he said.
The search for Kurt Ruppert, 29, of Lake City, Fla., was suspended when darkness fell Friday evening, and efforts to locate him will resume Saturday, said King County sheriff's Sgt. Cindi West.
When Ruppert jumped Thursday afternoon, he was wearing a special wing suit with fabric under the arms to allow him to glide like a flying squirrel.
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.
Authorities know the flight pattern of the aircraft, but a number of factors have made it difficult to find Ruppert. West said she was told wing suit flyers don't deploy parachutes until they reach an altitude of 2,000 feet.
"The speed and height of the jump would enable him to travel a large distance in a short amount of time," West said.
About four-dozen people began searching for Ruppert on Thursday, then resumed the effort at daybreak Friday in a 5-square-mile area that includes Mount Si, which is covered with trees on steep slopes. It's popular with hikers even though it can be treacherous.
"We've got a lot of search and rescues up here every year," West said. "It's dangerous and difficult. The footing is bad and there are lots of cliffs."
It was foggy Friday morning, but the weather cleared enough for a helicopter to join the search. The temperature was in the 40s, and Ruppert isn't dressed or equipped to stay out overnight, authorities said.
Ruppert was wearing a brown and green jumpsuit that likely blends into the terrain.
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.
"The guys on the ground could not see where he jumped from their angle, and the pilot couldn't see when he went out the door because he was focused on flying," 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 single and once owned a landscaping business, said Shaffer, who is in contact with Ruppert's family and friends.
"We've got our fingers crossed," he said.
"When Ruppert jumped Thursday afternoon, he was wearing a special wing suit with fabric under the arms to allow him to glide like a flying squirrel."
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or splat like a bug...
 @what? Alcohol can make you say some pretty stupid s$%t.
Doesn't sound good at all. King County Search & Rescue is the last group that I still send a donation to every year. Everybody else got cut when the recession hit.Â
Here is a link from my weather station pointing towards Mt. Si.
http://www.northbendweather.com/wxwebcam.php
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Helicopters and rescuers have been having a hard time due to the low cloud cover and fog.
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I'll bet you Ruppert is thinking that one of those personal emergency locator beacons would be handy about now.
Thinking he should be warm as  he jumped @ 6500' on a cold winter day. To bad they damaged the KCSO helicopter last week that had the necessary equipment that is needed. It is down for maintenance as I believe the tail rotor impacted the tarmac.
@Tolly371 Given the terrain and the large search area, the FLIR would not have helped the search. To quote Cindi West "it would be like looking for a quarter in your backyard with a magnifying glass". Also the FLIR doesn't do well with heavily wooded areas.
a squirrel suit must be fuzzy and warm, so he should be ok in the elements for a while. keep looking!
I think it would be a good excercise for our military people to go find him..
He is a smart guy, I'm thinking he just didn't make it all the way back and had to land out. Â Stay warm brother.
@wrightskyguy We can only hope...  it obviously isn't good  to be out there in this kind of weather...
You would think that KCSO would make their thermal imaging unit modular so that if the bird is down they could transfer it to another helicopter. That unit yesterday could have found him yesterday (even if he was dead already) w / in an hour or two.
@bagsofdirt That is not true, go listen to Cindi West interview on King5.
@bagsofdirt That is not true.
@watcher yes, it is true. His body, alive or dead, would have stood out like a beacon. Without new cover snow he would be clearly visible with an effective search pattern.
@bagsofdirt Wasn't there a story earlier in the week or late last week that this helicopter would be out of commission for a week or two because of damage done while taking off? Found it: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Accident-knocks-King-Co-sheriffs-helicopter-out-of-service-185084691.html
@ThisSpaceIntentionallyBlank .....yup, and there's only one infra-red..... exactly why that imaging unit should be on a modular mount.
 @bagsofdirt I'm thinking that would be the natural evolution of the device, to become more portable like everything else. They might not have had so much need for it until now with the newer riskier toys like this one. Maybe there has not been so many accidents in the past but it's a brave new world we live in.
@Elvis ....I chartered a Bell Jet Ranger out of NW Helicopters in Olympia about 3 months ago. 2 of the County birds were being repaired there at that time. They have a total of 4. It was the thermal imaging unit that found the dirtbag that killed the Ranger @ Mt. Rainier. It's the best way to find lost people in the woods.  It wouldn't cost that much to rig a modular mount w/ a sealed plug for the wiring harness. It only makes sense.  Â
 @bagsofdirt I suspect if it were an easy (and not costly) thing to accomplish, they'd do so... but you are talking some expensive, mounted gear. No doubt some anti-tax advocate complained about it when they got it in the first place.
A "squirrel suit" eh? With a helmet cam no doubt.
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@virtual anomaly
So, let me get this straight. Itâs OK to rescue someone who has a bit of âbad luckâ while hiking, but not if they were mountain climbing (because they were obviously asking for it). Could you please tell me exactly how steep the path I hike on needs to be before it becomes mountain climbing and you deem it to be âan idiotic riskâ?  For that matter, please publish a complete list of activities that you consider worthy of a rescue team. I need to know when Iâve crossed over into âyouâre on your ownâ territory.  It must be nice to live in such a black and white world.
@Central No kidding! I can't even see the original post since it was deleted but I'm definitely "getting" the kind of posts virtual anomaly was making! Your point here is well taken. How steep is too steep? When is a person being foolish? Consider the following... several years ago while hiking on an overgrown, abandoned logging road that was completely flat except for the plants that were beginning to take over the road, I stepped on a rock and severely sprained my ankle. Within moments it swelled up and began to turn colors. I barely made it back to the car and it took much longer than it should have. Thankfully, the person I was hiking with has bad knees and had brought along a pair of hiking poles. Those poles are the only reason I was able to make it back to the car and by the time we made it the daylight was almost gone. I guess I shouldn't have taken such a risk... hiking in an area where there are no people or streetlights around.
@justathought How about we charge criminals for all the havoc they wreak. At least this guy didn't have a bad intent.
 @virtual anomaly I don't think we should deny emergency response to anyone.... However, perhaps it'd be wise to institute an "insurance" for those involved in extreme sports like VA's listed that would pay for rescue in the event of an accident. I'm for rescuing these folks, regardless, but it seems that if they are indeed taking risks well and above the normal public, they might shoulder an increased aspect of the cost associated with rescuing them from those environments.Â
 @TruthinAdverts  @virtual anomaly Who would decide what sports required "extra" insurance?  I've got 7000 jumps over 22 yrs and I don't think skydiving is any riskier than say, playing soccer.  Would you make "extra" insurance compulsory for soccer players? What about joggers?
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 @countyclerk  @wrightskyguy  @TruthinAdverts  @virtual anomaly @county clerk:  While your hemming and hawing, think some positive thoughts for our buddy.
 @wrightskyguy  @TruthinAdverts  @virtual anomalyÂ
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Wow, 7000 jumps....that is impressive! I'm still hemming and hawing over whether I should jump one time, tandem of course, before I die! :-D
@virtual anomaly Don't you think that's a bit short-sighted? For one, many of these daredevil sportsmen are guys with high-pressured jobs (such as trauma docs) and this is a way to blow off steam. We very much need many of these "crazy" guys to come back home and continue supporting the community and their families. Secondly, search and rescue teams gain valuable experience that benefits ANYONE needing help, whether we feel the rescued one is worthy or not.
@TheAppleState ...doesn't really apply here...former landscaping business owner...I could have gone without extra mulch this month!
@Robert Browning I personally know Kurt. He is a great guy. Yes, he is a former landscaper. He currently owns a tree service business and a business that reaches/benefits many in our county, population 77,000. He recently repaired the electronic hub that controls our county emergency system. However, no matter what his job is he is a human being that deserves to be rescued. He has a mother, father and brother. No matter how many thousands it takes to find him, he is worth it. Be sensitive to others.
 @virtual anomaly Stay on your couch then. It's amazing to me how angry people get when someone needs to be rescued outdoors. Yet, other accidents/mistakes, which are FAR more common (car accidents, slip and falls at home, fires, sports injuries) conjure up sympathy and empathy. Yes, there are some miniscule costs for rescues, but the majority is through donations and volunteers so rescues HURT NO ONE. But, NOT rescuing hurts those who explore hobbies outdoors and get into trouble for one reason or another. There were 17 (17!!) deaths worldwide in skydiving in 2010 out of 2.5 million jumps. As for soccer injuries, accidents in the home, etc... injuries happen and resources are used all the time, but its more acceptable to some because they can relate better for one reason or another. I don't gripe when someone needs assistance on a sports field, in a home, in a car, on a highway, etc. You shouldn't gripe when someone who has different hobbies and interests than you needs assistance in the wilderness.
 @Sonolodo  @virtual anomaly I agree with Sonolodo.  So if someone takes "the risk" of lighting a fire in their fireplace, the fire dept. shouldn't respond?  And it's worth having an ambulance at every football game for high school, college, and NFL even though those people put themselves in a fairly likely position to be injured?Skydivers pay the taxes to support government agencies just like everybody else.  But cost aside, they're people too.I hope they find the skydiver soon.  BSBD.
@Sonolodo @virtual anomaly ......I don't think the aviation units like KCSO's are run by donations or volunteers. It's a thousand an hour to run those birds.
I really hope for a good outcome but it sure doesn't sound good.Â