US adventurer Dean Potter dies during flying stunt

One of the America's best known extreme athletes, Dean Potter died while performing a stunt in California recently.

The 43-year-old athlete, along with his fellow extreme athlete Graham Hunt, was attempting a wingsuit flight stunt from the 7,500 ft (2,286m) Taft Point promontory in Yosemite National Park, when the tragedy occurred, the BBC reported.

The men were wearing skin tight suits with batwing sleeves and a flap between their legs to help them glide. Rescuers found their bodies soon after contact had been lost with the men.

Park ranger Scott Gediman said that their parachutes had not been deployed and the incident was horrible. Giving his sympathy, he added that this was a huge loss for them.

Despite of such stunts being illegal in the National Park, enthusiasts frequently manage to evade the authorities.

Potter was the first to climb Yosemite's 3 most famous big walls in a single day. He was a leading practitioner of extreme high-lining.

Climber Doug Robinson said that Potter had always sought to take on new challenges, and though it was sad, he wasn't surprised by his death as "he was pushing the envelope all his life.