Parachutist dies after stadium plunge

The U.S. Special Operations team is practicing at Raymond James for an appearance at a Nov. 10 USF game when something goes wrong.

By MELANIE AVE

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 31, 2001

TAMPA -- It was supposed to be a routine practice jump for eight parachutists at Raymond James Stadium.

About a dozen stadium employees had gathered during lunch Thursday as the C-212 flew overhead, dropping streamers to check the wind for the U.S. Special Operations parachute team.

On the plane's second pass of the stadium, at least four team members jumped, their parachutes bursting open within seconds.

As they fell from the sky, the first jumper approached the stadium from the south and landed near the 50-yard line.

Next was Lt. Cmdr. Rock E. Blais, a 40-year-old Navy SEAL making his first jump at the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, off Dale Mabry Highway.

"He made the jump at 5,000 feet, but the last 15 to 20 feet, something went wrong," said Col. William Darley, MacDill Air Force Base spokesman.

Witnesses said Blais' parachute partly collapsed near the north end zone. His body crumpled hard to the ground.

The Navy and the safety board of the U.S. Special Operations will investigate the accident, which occurred as the parachute team practiced for a Nov. 10 jump at a University of South Florida football game.

Blais, the married father of two children and second generation Navy SEAL, was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:41 p.m.

His family could not be reached for comment.

Bystanders, who had first been told the parachutist had a broken leg, were shocked to learn of his death.

Bill J. Scott, a 37-year-old stadium maintenance worker, was standing at the opposite end of the stadium watching.

"He was coming around to land on the ground and the next thing you know, he hit the ground," he said. "You could hear the thud from one end zone to another. He wasn't moving. It happened so fast."

Mike Davis, assistant director of stadium operations who had seen the team jump many times before, was in the south end of the football field watching the jump.

The first jumper made his approach from the south at a "nice and normal speed, turned and landed as close to the 50 yard line as he could," he said. "The second jumper I'd say was 30 seconds behind him.

"He had made a maneuver to turn back toward the middle of the field" but he seemed to be going faster than the first jumper. "He hit it at somewhat of an angle ... a little more upright than 45, but he hit it pretty hard."

Blais, a native of Virginia with 13 years of active duty experience, had been a member of the Special Operations headquarters since May and worked as an operations staff officer.

It was the first fatal accident for the parachute team, which was formed in 1991.

Another officer with MacDill died during an off-duty parachuting jump in 1991.

Veteran Army jumper Santos Matos, 48, died after falling 13,000 feet during a tandem jump in Zephyrhills when his parachute failed to open. He was part of U.S. Special Operations at MacDill.

The demonstration team, which jumps at special events such as Buccaneers games, is a volunteer activity for its 24 members. The parachutists are able to jump from altitudes as high as 12,000 feet.

Because of Thursday's accident, the team has canceled all training and demonstration jumps, including one today at Hudson High School in northwest Pasco County.

Darley described Blais as a highly skilled and respected member of the demonstration team, with more than 1,000 high altitude jumps under his belt.

"You have to be extremely qualified to be on the team," he said. "These jumps are very, very challenging."

Funeral services for Blais are pending, but his family has requested that he be buried at the Phoebus Cemetery near Hampton, Va., alongside his mother and infant child who died last year.

"We deeply regret the loss of Lt. Cmdr. Blais," Darley said. "It's literally like the loss of a family member."

-- Times staff writer Tom Scherberger and researcher John Martin contributed to this report. Melanie Ave can be reached at (813) 226-3400 or melanie@sptimes.com.

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