One of the world’s best wingsuit pilots, 32, is killed in daredevil stunt at Table Mountain

One of the world’s best wingsuit pilots was horribly killed when he jumped off Table Mountain and crashed into rocks 1,000 feet below at 120 miles per hour.

Daring expert Brendan Weinstein, 32, failed to make it in time and was seen by tourists crashing into large rocks near a popular hiking trail.

Leaving his partner Kivia Martins and his young son Eiger behind, US pilot Weinstein went to Cape Town alone to make this difficult flight.

It is thought that the Red Bull star took the cable car to the top, hiding his parachute and wingsuit from the staff who would have stopped him if they saw him.

He walked for 15 minutes to a spot where wingsuit flights have been held in the past and put on his equipment before diving off the edge around 9 a.m.

Dozens of hikers, including British and American tourists, heard shouts from above and saw Weinstein luckily swerve off the road and crash into the rocks.

The highly experienced Weinstein, from Utah, USA, was a world expert, having completed more than 1,600 wingsuit flights, 800 BASE jumps and 1,000 parachute jumps.

But he got lucky on Monday morning when he jumped from 1,086m high Table Mountain and crashed into the rocks below at 190 miles per hour less than 10 seconds later.

Weinstein, from Utah, USA, was a highly experienced diver and a world-class expert in the sport, having completed more than 1,600 wingsuit flights, 800 BASE jumps and 1,000 parachute jumps.

Wilderness Search and Rescue and SanParks rangers were alerted and a helicopter was sent with teams to search for the body at the mountain front.

Wilderness Search and Rescue and SanParks rangers were alerted and teams were sent with a helicopter to search for the body at the mountain front.

The seriously injured pilot was found at 10am and taken by helicopter down Table Mountain to an ambulance surrounded by tourists.

Former SA parachutist Jeff Ayliffe said the jump was highly technical and Weinstein flew to the location directly from the US without consulting local jumpers.

Mr Ayliffe said: ‘He had not contacted any of the local base jumping associations to talk about this exit point and it has been successfully jumped many times.

‘But this was a very technical leap and had very sad consequences.

‘Brendan Weinstein is considered one of the most experienced base jumpers in the world and has a huge following in America.

‘His technical ability is incredible; He made many jumps. This is only our third BASE jumping death in South Africa.

‘These guys are very aware of the risk they’re taking,’ he said.

Weinstein landed on large rocks near a popular hiking trail in the Table Mountains (pictured)

Weinstein is considered one of the most experienced base jumpers in the world and has a large following in America.

His jumps have previously been featured by the likes of GoPro, Red Bull, Roam and MSN.

On the BASE Fatal List on the wingsuit community webpage, Weinstein is listed as death number 147 since records began in 1983.

South African Police spokesperson Constable Ndakhe Gwala said: ‘A man suffered fatal injuries when he jumped from the summit of Table Mountain.

‘Because the wounds on his face are so severe, his identity will need to be determined by DNA.’

The deceased wingsuit pilot’s website states: ‘Weinstein’s flights have consistently captured the world’s attention and have been featured by GoPro, Red Bull, Roam, Marginal Revolution and MSN, among many others.’

BASE jumping, a sport in which participants jump from cliffs, bridges or buildings before opening a parachute, remains extremely dangerous despite advances in equipment.

Wingsuit jumping takes BASE jumping one step further; A special suit consisting of fabric stretched between the arms and legs allows the jumper to slide horizontally and control his descent before opening the parachute.

BASE stands for Buildings, Antennas, Spans (bridges) or Earth (cliffs).

A spokesman for Wilderness Search and Rescue said multiple ground crews and a helicopter were involved in the search to find the body.

He said: ‘We located the crashed pilot just before 10am but he had tragically lost his life and his recovery was handled with care and sensitivity.

‘Jumping from Table Mountain is illegal and poses great danger not only to the person jumping, but also to the hundreds of people walking on the paths below.’

Brendan’s partner Kivia Martins shared a photo of them with their son on Facebook as they broke the news to their thousands of fans.

He wrote: ‘Dear friends, we lost Brendan way too early, around 9am on January 5th in Cape Town, South Africa.

‘He was much loved and left a strong mark on so many people.

‘One day, I want our son Eiger to be able to know his father through the memories of those who knew him, through the moments, through the stories, through the impact he had on others.

‘Please share a memory, a few words or a photo of Brendan, if you feel comfortable doing so, it will be shared with our son when he is older.’

Thank you for helping me preserve who Brendan is. “This truly means more than I can express,” said his devastated Brazilian partner.

Brendan started skydiving as a teenager in 2010, and in 2015 he founded a company called BaseBeta to help those interested in the sport.

In 2016, he became known for his extreme flights over difficult terrain and had a stellar performance in the World Wing Suit League.

He had flown in the USA, Brazil, Türkiye, China and the Swiss Alps, but lucked out when he jumped down from Table Mountain.

As Brendan plummeted to his death down the side of the iconic mountain, hundreds of tourists waited below for the cable car.