Belgian skydiver 'murdered love rival' during jump

[Blue_Tires]

Els Clottemans is accused of murdering Els Van Doren who fell 1,000m (3,200 ft) to her death while jumping with her and the man they both loved.

Ms Van Doren held hands in formation with her lover seconds before finding her parachute cords had been cut.

Ms Clottemans, 26, denies the charges laid against her.

The elementary school teacher showed no sign of emotion as prosecutor Patrick Boyen read the 68-page indictment in the courtroom in the Flemish town of Tongeren (French: Tongres).

She only spoke to confirm basic details such as her date of birth and profession while her lawyers issued a statement expressing their firm belief that their client had not killed a woman she regarded as a friend.

Els Van Doren, then 38, died on 18 November 2006, crashing into a garden in the village of Opglabbeek after both of her parachutes failed to open.

Els Van Doren was 38 at the time of her death Her horrific death fall was captured by her own helmet video camera, which only stopped recording at the moment of impact.

She had jumped over the Zwartberg area at 4,000m (13,000 ft) along with Marcel Somers and a second man. All three were experienced parachutists.

The three took each other's hands for a formation free fall they had rehearsed on the ground earlier along with Ms Clottemans, Belgium's Le Soir newspaper reports.

But Ms Clottemans missed them, having jumped a fraction too late.

The alleged murderer was reportedly able to watch as her three fellow jumpers separated at 1,000m to open their parachutes, with Ms Van Doren trying in vain to activate hers.

"Els tried to do everything to try to save herself," Luc Deijgers, who piloted the Cessna plane, told Belgian TV.

"She tried to open the reserve parachute but it wouldn't open. That never happens."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11404581

[sarge43]

1. According to hubby (over 300 sport jumps and a certified master rigger),

the likelihood of both packs (if properly packed and not fiddled with) not opening, to quote, "pretty rare".

FWIW

[Old Troop]

2. Ya know, any time there is a parachute failure in the US Army, the

chance of foul play is always looked at.

[Redstone]

3. And you think there's never anything different that happens these days...

Redstone

[cwydro]

4. Dayum.

I thought I had a mean ex.

That is some serious derangement...like that astronaut woman with the diapers...

Hell hath no fury.

[madinmaryland]

5. Why would anyone jump out perfectly fine airplane. One more reason not to.

Just sayin.

[Demoiselle]

6. My thoughts exactly, Mad. The moment I read the headline.

With or without amatory rivals.

[sarge43]

7. In fact it's one of the safer sports.

Provided you stay awake during training and don't get cute on the way out of the aircraft or on the way down. As said, hubby has over 300 jumps and one minor injury. That happened after he landed. Wind gust caught the chute and dragged him. His safety record is the norm.

If someone is intent on doing you, doesn't matter much where you're at.

[madinmaryland]

9. Sorry, Sarge. But unless the airplane is going down, no way in hell

I am jumping out of it.

[sarge43]

10. Oh I understand. I would never jump either.

I'm a firm believer in Murphy's Law as it may apply to me.

However, right now I'm more worried about Himself driving home at night on NH back roads than I ever was when he was sky diving. He's smart and careful; moose, deer and other drivers may not be. Figure the odds.

[Orrex]

14. I typically deploy my chute as I board the plane, just to be on the safe side.

[sarge43]

15. And you can wrap it around yourself to keep warm. n/t

[Orrex]

16. Great minds.

[sarge43]

17. And if the plane crashes, you have a ready made shroud n/t

[Old Troop]

24. Well Sarge, I had a fair number of jumps too. Mine generally involved

much larger men than me throwing me out of the plane screaming. Of course my military career was 27 years of unmitigated mediocrity punctuated by moments of shrieking cowardice. As an infantry battalion commander, I assigned a PFC to hold me when I was scared.

[sarge43]

25. Yup. 90% boredom, 10% terror. Standard career.

Wish I'd had a tiny striper to scare away the horrors. All I had was mo coffee, mo cigs, an economy size bottle of APCs and my finger nails -- you know, the four basic food groups.

Hand salute for plus 20 pounding ground. I just singlehandedly destroyed old growth forests and pissed off a lot of people. "No sergeant, the regs say you screwed the pooch or the pooch screwed you. Either way you're screwed." The unofficial motto of Personnel pukes and Finance freaks -- Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke.

[MajorChode]

19. Most jump planes I've seen I wouldn't call "perfectly fine"

[sarge43]

21. It's an expensive hobby. Can't always afford top o' the line.

Fortunately for all concerned pilots aren't generally suicidal. They want to keep their equal number of take offs and landings status.

[MajorChode]

22. It's just a pilot joke

The planes they use are commonly ragged out old Cessnas, and the type of flying they do is hard on the engines, but as commercial aircraft they have to be inspected every 100 hours so in theory they are perfectly safe. Also the type of flying they do is right over the top of an airport, so if they ever do have an engine failure they can just glide in for a landing. It's kind of fun to watch them fly. Many times the jump plane pilot beats the jumpers back to the airport. Some of them do this by putting the plane into a stall and float the plane down like a falling leaf.

[sarge43]

23. Understand. No one can do black humor like a pilot. n/t

[Orrex]

8. Chute to kill

There's a curious matter of timing here, though, as it pertains to the headline: technically, did she murder her "love rival" during the jump, before the jump, or after the jump?

[Shell Beau]

12. Planned before, watched while during, and on impact murder happened.

She can rot as far as I am concerned.

I can't imagine the fear that woman felt when she realized she was fucked. FUCKED. How do you brace yourself for that? Ok, I am alive, I am alive, I am alive. BAM. No more. And the woman watched? Sick.

[Orrex]

13. Despite my previous jocular posting, this has been very much on my mind today

So young, too.

[Shell Beau]

18. I know you kid. Even when it isn't appropriate!! HAHA!! That is why I loves you!!

;)

[MajorChode]

20. Supposedly they both jumped the guy, so I'd have to say after

[Shell Beau]

11. Wow. What a vicious way to die. The woman, if guilty, can rot in hell.

That also sounds to me like she must be seriously disturbed. She watched it? It is situations like this (and that horrific home burglary turned to raping a child and mother and then burning most of the family to death) that make me question my stance on the DP. I am pretty much against it. Pretty much.

[Mojambo]

26. Would have made a GREAT episode of Monk. n/t

[applegrove]

27. I hope they lock her up and throw away the key.