SKYDIVER IN 'WRONG PLACE'

SkyNews ^ | 07/07/03 | Staff Writer

[bedolido]

The murder of a skydiver who plunged to his death after his parachute was sabotaged may have been a "random act", the policeman leading the probe into his death has said.

Detective Superintendent Colin Andrews said the victim, Stephen Hilder, 20, was "a popular, intelligent man with a bright future" and that the motive for his murder remains a "mystery".

He added: "One thing we have to consider is that this was a random act and Stephen was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Mr Hilder, a 20-year-old Army cadet, plummeted 13,000ft to his death at Hibaldstow Airfield, North Lincolnshire, on Friday afternoon.

Deliberately cut

Detectives say the cord on his main parachute had been deliberately cut as well as the strapping on his reserve chute.

A veteran of more than 200 jumps, Mr Hilder was taking part in a competition with seven other skydivers at National Championships of the British Collegiate Parachute Association when he died.

Police say the murder investigation remains focused on building a picture of Mr Hilder's life and background.

Officers are interviewing his friends, family and associates at the Defence Academy in Shrivenham where Mr Hilder was an undergraduate.

Video footage

A spokeswoman for Humberside Police said: "The main focus of the inquiry will be to try and build up a picture of Stephen's life and find out what sort of person he was.

"The family liaison officer from Humberside Police will be spending time with Stephen's parents and elder sister in Hereford to get information about his background."

Police are also appealing for party-goers who attended a fancy dress party at the skydiving centre the night before Mr Hilder died to hand over photos and video footage.

Last Updated: 15:49 UK, Monday July 07, 2003

[MEG33]

I know what I think the just punishment is for the one who sabatoged the chute.

[Poohbah]

I know what I think the just punishment is for the one who sabatoged the chute

Give the miscreant a gravity lesson.

[MEG33]

We have a meeting of the minds.

[MistrX]

Didn't he have a spare chute?

[hchutch]

Actually, I prefer to think of it as a "flying lesson".

Kinda like what John Clark had in minbd with Escobedo at the end of the book "Clear and Present Danger."

[skeeter]

The straps were cut on his spare, as well.

[Cachelot]

"The main focus of the inquiry will be to try and build up a picture of Stephen's life and find out what sort of person he was.

Wouldn't it be better to try and find out what kind of person a random chute-cutter might be?

I'll even put up the first question: do they have any muslims packing chutes??

[RC30]

Wouldnt one usually check the integrity of their pack/chutes before deciding they are gonna jump from a perfectly good plane? Ive never sky dived but I would think that a parachutist would, like a good pilot, inspect the pack before heading out. Who usually packs the chutes? No way am I gonna trust a pack without knowing who packed it and when, preferrably if I can pack it myself I'd never trust anyone else to do it.

[Cachelot]

Wouldnt one usually check the integrity of their pack/chutes

Chances are that the sabotage wasn't obvious before someone tried to use the chute. I don't think they'd be doing more than a cursory inspection of the packing in any case - you wouldn't be opening the thing up before using it, for example.

[RogueIsland]

I know what I think the just punishment is for the one who sabatoged the chute.

Give him a selection of 20 chutes. One is sabotaged. The others are fine. Keep making him choose and jump until he chooses poorly.

[bedolido]

Keep making him choose and jump until he chooses poorly.

Indiana Jone and the Last Crusade...lol. "He chose poorly"

[r9etb]

Give the miscreant a gravity lesson.

There's a better way:

Sabotage his main, but leave the reserve chute intact. Toss him out of the plane. Let him decide whether or not to pull his reserve.

If he doesn't, he's a splat.

And if he does, the wire connecting the reserve chute to his genitals will remove him from the gene pool. (And if you toss him out high enough, he might bleed to death before he lands.)

[Tijeras_Slim]

A parachutist of this level of experience would certainly pack his own main chute. In the US, the reserve is usually packed by a certified rigger or master rigger on a regular scheduled basis. Somewhere between when he last packed his main and when he jumped, his gear was unattended and unsecured.

[Delbert]

Falling 13000 feet will not kill you, but the sudden impact at the end of 13000 foot fall will.

[Sabertooth]

This might have been a suicide. The diver has more access to his chute than anyone else. The possibility needs to be investigated.

[Tijeras_Slim]

You'd think he'd just not bother to open, than to make it look like a sabotage job.

[Constitutional Patriot]

If this guy had 200 jumps under his belt, he probably should have packed his own...

[Sabertooth]

I don't disagree. My point is only that the investigation needs to consider the possibility of suicide as well as homicide.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Absolutely.