Johnny Strange Had Jumped From Mount Gitschen In Central Switzerland

An American wingsuit flyer was fatally injured Thursday in an accident on Mount Gitschen in the Alps in central Switzerland, according to local authorities.

Johnny Strange, 23, had BASE jumped from the 8,245-foot high mountain which has become popular in the sport's circles in recent years. Police spokesman Gusti Planzer told the Associated Press that while it was not clear what caused the experienced wingsuit jumper to impact terrain, there had been strong winds on the mountain at the time Strange jumped.

According to the report, Strange had complained about the weather as early as last Monday as he was climbing the mountain during an interview with Los Angeles radio personalities Kevin and Bean. He said that he was planning to get "new wingsuit proximity video. That's where we fly super-close to stuff. It should be awesome," he said.

But he said that bad weather was creating problems and he might postpone the jump because "I don't really want to get hurt."

Strange was the youngest person to climb the highest mountains on each of the world's seven continents. He had climbed Mount Everest at age 17.

Strange was the second American wingsuit flyer to be fatally injured on Mount Gitschen this year. The previous accident occurred on July 10, according to the AP.

(Image from Johnny Strange YouTube video)

FMI: www.youtube.com/user/strangeworld01