Ian Flanders, American BASE Jumper, Dies During Televised Competition In Turkey

Ian Flanders, American climber and BASE jumper, died on Tuesday during a televised sporting event in Turkey.

Ian Flanders Dead At 37

Flanders, 37, was competing as part of a BASE jumping team in the International Nature Sports Festival in Erzincan, Turkey, and had just successfully completed a wingsuit jump when the accident occurred.

“The wingsuit flight was great, it was a gorgeous flight. You get to kind of fly over the town. We landed in the river, which was also actually kind of fun. It’s a pretty technical jump, but overall it was a lot of fun. It was great, and this place is fantastic,” Flanders told reporters after his first jump.

Flanders was reportedly flying through the air when he appeared to suffer some problems with his parachute. Video appears to show his legs getting caught in the ropes of the parachute, causing him to plummet to the ground. His body was discovered by a search and rescue team in the Karasu River.

Flanders was working on a documentary about the deaths of BASE jumpers at the time of his death.