Thomas Noonan III and Jim Wigginton were about to perform a tandem jump at 41,000 feet above Memphis, Tennessee on Oct. 16, when Noonans foot became stuck as they stepped out of their plane.
They were about to attempt breaking the Guinness World Record for the highest tandem skydive.
Wigginton, 72 years old, from Belleville, Michigan, said that the first two men exited. We weighed in at around 500 pounds between Tom and me and the gear that we wore. To move, we had to use our arms to lift our legs and scoot with our legs. It was quite difficult to move at 41,000 feet. He was struggling to keep up with us halfway through. I got to the door. I was standing at the door.
The oxygen system required for that altitude malfunctioned before the pair could jump. Everyone experienced hypoxia immediately, which is when there wasn't enough oxygen.
Noonan became unconscious, one of the crew members started shaking, the videographer continued to go in and out consciousness, and Wigginton who was carrying hundreds of pounds with Noonan on his back also went unconscious.
The majority of crew members recovered from hypoxia or regained consciousness. Noonan was not among them. Wigginton and he were both pulled back into the aircraft and CPR performed on Noonan until he could land. Noonan, 47-year-old from New Smyrna Beach in Florida, was pronounced dead shortly after landing. The cause of his death is not yet known.
Wigginton said that while we have done many high-altitude jumps in the past, things change significantly as you get higher up. What you do at 30,000ft is different from what you do at 35 and 35. And 40 is different than what you do at 35. Physically, 41,000 feet is the limit of what you can do without a suit. We were already tempted by the pressure.
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Before preparing for a tandem skydive at 41,000 feet, Jim Wigginton, Tom Noonan III and xxx take photos.
The day of the jump
Wigginton stated that he and Noonan knew that this would be a difficult and dangerous jump but it wasn't impossible. An airliner typically flies at 45,000 feet. Wigginton stated that the logistics involved in making the jump are crucial. These include controlling oxygen and temperature, choosing where to sit on the plane, and pre-breathing with oxygen tanks for how long.
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The crew tested the masks and hoses at 28,000 feet a week before the jump to make sure they fit properly. On Oct. 15, they did another test run at 15,000ft.
Wigginton said that the next morning was great.
Julie Watkins (58), Noonans' fiance, waited at Noonans drop zone for their return. She said that they arrived at the drop zone around 3:00 in the morning. They got their gear ready and were soon out breathing oxygen shortly after 5.
To avoid commercial aircraft, the team first had to obtain clearance from air traffic controllers. The plan was to take off just before sunrise so that the sun would rise by the time the plane reached 41,000 feet.
However, things did not go according to plan. Wigginton could have jumped on Noonan's back if his foot had not gotten stuck. Wigginton's weight may have prevented the automatic activation device from deploying the shared parachute at 4,001 feet.
Wigginton, Noonan and others have broken many records in jumps. They were also close friends so Wigginton's mentality has changed after the accident.
Wigginton stated that he isn't sure if he will ever skydive again. Wigginton said that the pair had originally planned to fly to Nepal to attempt another world record for highest landing.
Waiting in the drop zone
Watkins feels exactly the same. They were together for nearly 10 years. Their anniversary was in December. They met at another drop zone through a mutual friend, and they connected via Facebook several months later. He turned up at her doorstep one day and the two have been together ever since. She was able skydive with Noonan twice and was always there at the drop zone when Noonan fell from the sky.
Tom Noonan III has been with Julie Watkins for nearly 10 years.
Noonan, who was traveling with Watkins to the drop zone on Oct. 16, sent Watkins a photo of him in the plane wearing his gear. Watkins responded, "Good Luck with your jump."
He replied, You are the love in my life.' She replied, You are my greatest love.' And that I would see him again.
She claimed she saw him dressed up, and that they had a few kisses together before he went off. She saw him come back and was shocked to see him breathing again.
The pillar of the skydiving community
Noonan was a tandem skydiving instructor, and Wigginton stated that he was a "legend" with high energy in the skydiving community. In 25 years, he had done over 10,000 jumps. Noonan has had a great interaction with skydivers around the globe.
United Parachute Technologies was his employer. He was the Tandem Program Director. He taught classes in his Florida office and also traveled to teach. He would train the military in Arizona as one of his teaching destinations.
Watkins stated that he had great input and was a good communicator. He was able to communicate his ideas and people would listen.
Watkins stated that his main goal was to make sure people were safe in the air. Noonan enjoyed receiving positive feedback from people after he had trained them. It made him feel proud and accomplished knowing that he had passed his knowledge on to others.
Noonans favorite place to skydive was Mount Everest in Nepal's Himalayas. There are plans to bring several people together to fly to the country in his honour. Watkins stated that some of his ashes would also be released at DeLand in Florida.
Watkins stated that it is a custom in the skydiving community to gather as many friends as possible to take the ashes and skydive together. Bill, our old friend, will carry the ashes. Theyll take off in a skydive and release the ashes when they reach the canopy. The ashes kind of flicker off.
Wigginton has been involved in many adventurous activities, including skydiving from high elevations, diving into the deepest part of the ocean, and climbing one million stairs. These efforts, which eventually led to records, were all done in memory of Nancy Wigginton who died from thyroid cancer in 2013. He raises money and donates funds to Michigan Medicines Rogel Cancer Center. Skydiving is not in his plans.
Wigginton stated that skydiving was not the only thing she did for me. I am working on a project to scale the highest building in each state. COVID ended that project for a time. Another goal was to climb all the Colorado peaks above 14,000 feet. I have done 16 of them. There are 53 of these. And I've been to 22 states. There is always something to do.
Chat with Chanel Stitt, staff writer on Twitter at @ByChanelStitt. Subscribe to the magazine or give a subscription as a gift.
This article was originally published on Detroit Free Press: Florida man is killed in skydiving attempt. Michigan partner mourns his loss
