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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20051004/PARACHUTE04/TPNational/Canada
Forces instructor dies parachuting at Trenton
By COLIN FREEZE AND UNNATI GANDHI
Tuesday, October 4, 2005 Page A2
A military paratrooper instructor was killed yesterday during a training exercise, the second time in as many years that there has been a fatal accident at Canadian Forces Base Trenton.
Warrant Officer Charles Sheppard, 43, was pronounced dead at 12:45 p.m. on a day of clear skies and light winds, officials said.
"The cause is under investigation," said Lieutenant Morgan Bailey, a spokeswoman for the military. "The soldier was an experienced jumper."
She said WO Sheppard, who had completed more than 2,500 jumps and had been in the Canadian Forces for 19 years, was leading a freefall course at the base's Mountain View detachment.
"Warrant Officer Sheppard and I soldiered together for many years and I knew him as a passionate and professional leader," said Colonel David Fraser, Commander of 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group.
WO Sheppard, originally from Galt, Ont., was temporarily working at the Canadian Parachute Centre CFB Trenton. He was attached to the 3rd Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in Edmonton.
The parachute centre at Trenton trains hundreds of soldiers for both military operations and search and rescue missions, and also the Sky Hawks jumping team, which performs at dozens of events each year.
In September of 2003, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Blanchette, the commander of the Trenton parachute centre, was killed when he detached his parachute too early as he jumped from a helicopter above the Bay of Quinte. A coroner eventually determined that Lt. Col. Blanchette, a 30-year veteran, died an accidental death, and ruled out equipment failure.
Fatal accidents involving military submarines and Snowbird airplanes have attracted much attention in recent months, but the Canadian Forces has also seen its share of parachute problems over the years.
Earlier this year a "severe landing" caused a soldier to be hospitalized for serious back and hip injuries, as well as a collapsed vertebrae, after an accident at the parachute centre.
In 2002, two Alberta soldiers got their parachutes entangled during search and rescue training, but escaped with only minor injuries after managing to untangle themselves at the last minute.
In 1998, a soldier broke his leg after hitting a tree during a performance at the International Air Show in Toronto.
In 1989, nine Canadian paratroopers with the Airborne Regiment died during a car accident and airplane crash that occurred within two days. The previous year, a Canadian Forces paratrooper died during a recreational jump at the Ganonoque airport.
In 1981, a private with the Airborne died on his fourth jump, a "freak accident".
Forces instructor dies parachuting at Trenton
By COLIN FREEZE AND UNNATI GANDHI
Tuesday, October 4, 2005 Page A2
A military paratrooper instructor was killed yesterday during a training exercise, the second time in as many years that there has been a fatal accident at Canadian Forces Base Trenton.
Warrant Officer Charles Sheppard, 43, was pronounced dead at 12:45 p.m. on a day of clear skies and light winds, officials said.
"The cause is under investigation," said Lieutenant Morgan Bailey, a spokeswoman for the military. "The soldier was an experienced jumper."
She said WO Sheppard, who had completed more than 2,500 jumps and had been in the Canadian Forces for 19 years, was leading a freefall course at the base's Mountain View detachment.
"Warrant Officer Sheppard and I soldiered together for many years and I knew him as a passionate and professional leader," said Colonel David Fraser, Commander of 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group.
WO Sheppard, originally from Galt, Ont., was temporarily working at the Canadian Parachute Centre CFB Trenton. He was attached to the 3rd Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in Edmonton.
The parachute centre at Trenton trains hundreds of soldiers for both military operations and search and rescue missions, and also the Sky Hawks jumping team, which performs at dozens of events each year.
In September of 2003, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Blanchette, the commander of the Trenton parachute centre, was killed when he detached his parachute too early as he jumped from a helicopter above the Bay of Quinte. A coroner eventually determined that Lt. Col. Blanchette, a 30-year veteran, died an accidental death, and ruled out equipment failure.
Fatal accidents involving military submarines and Snowbird airplanes have attracted much attention in recent months, but the Canadian Forces has also seen its share of parachute problems over the years.
Earlier this year a "severe landing" caused a soldier to be hospitalized for serious back and hip injuries, as well as a collapsed vertebrae, after an accident at the parachute centre.
In 2002, two Alberta soldiers got their parachutes entangled during search and rescue training, but escaped with only minor injuries after managing to untangle themselves at the last minute.
In 1998, a soldier broke his leg after hitting a tree during a performance at the International Air Show in Toronto.
In 1989, nine Canadian paratroopers with the Airborne Regiment died during a car accident and airplane crash that occurred within two days. The previous year, a Canadian Forces paratrooper died during a recreational jump at the Ganonoque airport.
In 1981, a private with the Airborne died on his fourth jump, a "freak accident".
