An n father has died in a ‘freak’ base jumping accident during a competition in northern Italy following a suspected parachute failure.
Perth man James Lee Nowland, 42, died on Wednesday afternoon after he jumped from the summit of Sass Pordoi, a rocky plateau in the Dolomites mountain range.
Investigators suspect a technical issue prevented him from opening his parachute, Italian news agency ANSA reported.
The 42-year-old crashed onto a roadway some 400metres of course, according to alpine rescue services.
Rescue services were alerted to the incident by a group of ns known to Mr Nowland but were unable to revive him.
‘We tried to do our best to save (him)… there was nothing to do for him,’ rescuer Andrea Dorigatti told Seven News.
‘I asked the friends and they told me that the problem was with the parachute that didn’t get open.’
Friends reportedly said Mr Nowlands’ death was the result of a ‘freak’ accident.
His brother Andrew issued a heartfelt tribute on social media after learning of the tragic accident.
‘Rest in peace brother! Wish we had more times like this together,’ he said, alongside a picture of the pair in the snow in British Columbia.
‘Hope you’re soaring through the clouds doing what you love forever.’
Mr Nowland worked in construction project management when he wasn’t travelling the world BASE jumping, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Prior to the fatal accident, Mr Nowland shared a video to social media of people preparing for the Pordoi BASE Race, scheduled to run from July 16 to July 18.
Participants in the popular wingsuit race compete to fly at breakneck speeds down the rocky summit.
BASE jumping is an extreme sport involving the use of parachutes or wing suits from high elevations – the acronym stands for building, antenna, span and earth.
Accidents are an unavoidable part of the sport, with Mr Nowland having publicly mourned his own friend’s death in an accident in Switzerland last year.
The 42-year-old was an experienced BASE jumper, whose social media pages are littered with heart-stopping footage of his past conquests around the world.
In one video shared to Instagram in September last year, Mr Nowland filmed himself jumping from a mountain in the Dolomites.
‘Little ripper in the Dolomites on the way to start training in the new suit,’ he wrote.
‘Been a hard year with missing friends but it’s nice to be back in the mountains to process and heal.’
The beloved adventurer leaves behind a wife and children.