This Day in History: Greg Austin Gingrich fell to his death in the Grand Canyon on this day in 1992. 38-year-old Gingrich was vacationing at the Grand Canyon in Coconino County, Arizona, with his teenage daughter, when he began to play-act losing his balance to frighten her. Gingrich leaped atop a guard wall and began wind-milling his arms in an exaggerated manner, then "comically" fell from the wall on the canyon side onto a short slope where he assumed he would land safely. His daughter, unimpressed with his antics, walked on. Gingrich, however, missed his footing and fell approximately 400 feet into the canyon to his death.
"The Grand Canyon averages 12 deaths each year; Colburn’s death is the park’s 18th so far in 2021. The most common causes of death are from airplane crashes, falls, and dangerous environmental conditions such as overheating or drowning. In total, around 275 people have died from airplane crashes over the Canyon, but 128 of those deaths come from a single tragedy in 1956. Two planes collided midair, which became the deadliest aerial crash in the United States at that time." Source
People often die falling in the Grand Canyon while taking selfies or horsing around or while urinating into the canyon or simply being drunk. Some people fall due to dizziness.
There have been about 91 suicides in the Grand Canyon. Most of these are people jumping off the ledge, but 13 of these suicides happen when someone drives their vehicle off the ledge. "Three of these occurred in one year, 1993. This came on the heels of the film Thelma & Louis...In the movie’s final scene, the two protagonists drive their vehicle off the ledge of the canyon. We know that at least one of the women who died watched that movie over 50 times and was determined to recreate the event. Her name was Patricia Astolfo, and she drove her suburban off the ledge. However, it got high centered on a rock, preventing her from falling into the canyon. So she got out of her vehicle, walked to the ledge, and jumped. Only she landed on another ledge 15 feet below. Injured, she crawled to another ledge and jumped. Only she landed on another ledge 25 feet below. Still determined, she crawled to another ledge and fell, this time falling a fatal 75 feet." Source
One man actually leaped out of a helicopter while on an aerial tour of the canyon. He fell 4000 feet to his death.
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