Editing Gateway Arch (section)

===Stunts and accidents===
[[File:STL Skyline 2007 edit cropped.jpg|thumb|right |The arch in September 2007]]
On June 16, 1965, the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] cautioned that aviators who flew through the arch would be fined and their licenses revoked.<ref name="Wolf">{{cite news |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/626557502.html?dids=626557502:626557502&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI |title=St. Louis' Stainless Steel Streamline Baby |last=Wolf |first=Jacob |date=May 12, 1968 |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |page=I28 |access-date=January 18, 2011 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/61hcbXuod?url=http://hn.bigchalk.com/pqdocs/share4/pqimage/hnirs104v/201109141840/22213/3567/out.pdf |archive-date=September 14, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> At least ten pilots have disobeyed this order,<ref name="Arch timeline"/> beginning on June 22, 1966.<ref name="Corrigan"/>

In 1973, Nikki Caplan was granted an FAA exception to fly a [[hot air balloon]] between the arch's legs as part of the [[Great Forest Park Balloon Race]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Cox |first=Jeremy R. C. |title=St. Louis Aviation |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ttPS7yYgiKMC&pg=PA31 |year=2011 |publisher=[[Arcadia Publishing]] |location=Charleston, SC |isbn=978-0-7385-8410-2 |page=31 |chapter=The Beginning of Flight in St. Louis }}</ref> During the flight, on which the St. Louis park director was a passenger, the balloon hit the arch and plummeted 70 feet before recovering.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/610909732.html?dids=610909732:610909732&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI |title=Column 1: Hot air fans meet, shoot the breezes |last=Oppenheim |first=Carol |date=August 12, 1976 |work=Chicago Tribune |page=1 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/61j1Nn95w?url=http://hn.bigchalk.com/pqdocs/share4/pqimage/hnirs101v/201109151633/37704/27294/out.pdf |archive-date=September 15, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1976, a [[U.S. Army]] exhibition skydiving team was permitted to fly through the arch as part of [[Fourth of July]] festivities,<ref name="Evening Independent accident" /> and since then, numerous skydiving exhibition teams have legally jumped onto the Arch grounds, after having flown their parachutes through the legs of the Arch.

The arch has been a target of various [[stunt performer]]s, and while such feats are generally forbidden, several people have parachuted to or from the arch regardless. In June 1980, the National Park Service declined a request by television producers to have a performer jump from the arch; a similar appeal by stuntman Dan Koko was also turned away in February 1986.<ref name="Arch timeline" /> Koko, who was a [[stunt double]] for ''[[Superman (1978 film)|Superman]]'', wanted to perform the leap during Fourth of July celebrations.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ca8yAAAAIBAJ&pg=2127,1252455 |title=Gateway Arch stunt off |date=February 13, 1986 |work=[[Ottawa Citizen|The Citizen]] |access-date=March 25, 2011 }}</ref>

'''1980 accident'''

On November 22, 1980, at about 8:45&nbsp;a.m. CST, 33-year-old Kenneth Swyers of [[Overland, Missouri]], parachuted onto the top of the arch. His plan was to release his main parachute and then jump off the arch using his reserve parachute to perform a [[base jump]]. After landing the wind blew him to the side, and he slid down the north leg to his death.<ref name="Montreal Gazette accident">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EVwxAAAAIBAJ&pg=3581,1871410&hl=en |title=Wife sees 'chutist plunge to death |date=November 24, 1980 |agency=United Press International |work=[[The Gazette (Montreal)|The Gazette]] |location=Montreal |access-date=March 25, 2011 }}</ref> The accident was witnessed by several people, including Swyers' wife, also a parachutist. She said her husband "was not a hot dog, daredevil skydiver" and that he had prepared for the jump two weeks in advance. Swyers, who had made over 1,600 jumps before the incident, was reported by one witness to have "landed very well" on the top of the arch, but "had no footing."<ref name="Evening Independent accident" /> Swyers was reportedly blown to the top of the arch by the wind and was unable to save himself when his reserve parachute failed to deploy.<ref name="Montreal Gazette accident" /> The Federal Aviation Administration said the jump was unauthorized and investigated the pilot involved in the incident.<ref name="Evening Independent accident">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IGFQAAAAIBAJ&pg=1666,2432018&dq=kenneth-swyers+gateway-arch&hl=en |title='I Knew He Was Dead': Parachutist Dies After Landing On St. Louis Arch |date=November 24, 1980 |agency=Associated Press |work=[[Evening Independent]] |access-date=March 25, 2011 }}</ref>

On December 27, 1980, St. Louis television station [[KTVI]] reported receiving calls from supposed witnesses of another stunt landing. The alleged parachutist, who claimed to be a retired professional stuntman, was said to be wearing a [[Santa Claus]] costume when he jumped off an airplane around 8:00&nbsp;a.m. CST, parachuted onto the arch, grasped the monument's beacon, and used the same parachute to glide down unharmed. KTVI said it was told the feat was done as an act of homage to Swyers, and "apparently was a combination of a dare, a drunk, and a tribute."<ref name="Eugene Register-Guard jump">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dFhYAAAAIBAJ&pg=6888,8834513&dq=kenneth-swyers+gateway-arch&hl=en |title='Santa' parachutes onto arch to honor stunt man |agency=United Press International |date=December 28, 1980 |work=[[Eugene Register-Guard]] |access-date=March 25, 2011 }}</ref> On the day after the alleged incident, authorities declared the jump a hoax. A spokesperson for the [[St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department]] said no calls were received about the jump until after it was broadcast on the news, and the Federal Aviation Administration said the two calls it had received were very similar. One caller also left an out-of-service phone number, while the other never followed up with investigators.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yApIAAAAIBAJ&pg=4262,4403948&dq=arch+stunt&hl=en |title=Gateway Arch leap seen hoax |date=December 29, 1980 |work=[[Record-Journal]] |access-date=March 25, 2011 }}</ref> Arch officials said they did not witness any such jump, and photos provided by the alleged parachutist were unclear.<ref name="Eugene Register-Guard jump" />

'''1992 stunt'''
[[File:Gateway Arch from air.jpg|thumb|right |Aerial shot of the arch]]

On September 14, 1992, 25-year-old John C. Vincent climbed to the top of the Gateway Arch using [[suction cup]]s and proceeded to parachute back to the ground. He was later charged with two [[misdemeanor]]s: climbing a national monument and parachuting in a national park. [[United States Attorney|Federal prosecutor]] Stephen Higgins called the act a "great stunt" but said it was "something the Park Service doesn't take lightly."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HQBMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4977,3479064&dq=john-vincent+gateway-arch&hl=en |title=Gateway Arch climber charged |date=September 17, 1992 |agency=Associated Press |work=[[Oxnard Press-Courier|Press-Courier]] |access-date=March 25, 2011 }}</ref> Vincent, a construction worker and diver from [[Harvey, Louisiana]],<ref name="STLPD innocent">{{cite news |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/s/InfoWeb/aggdocs/AWNB/0EB04DCD374E5048/0D7C12F5A8A2A86A |title=Innocent Plea In Arch Climb&nbsp;– Defendant Had Said That He Pulled Off Stunt |date=September 22, 1992 |last=Bryant |first=Tim |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707223918/http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date%3AD&p_product=AWNB&p_text_direct-0=document_id%3D%28%200EB04DCD374E5048%20%29&p_docid=0EB04DCD374E5048&p_theme=aggdocs&p_queryname=0EB04DCD374E5048&f_openurl=yes&p |archive-date=July 7, 2019 |access-date=March 25, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> said he did it "just for the excitement, just for the thrill," and had previously parachuted off the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] in May 1991. He said that scaling the arch "wasn't that hard" and that he had considered a jump off the monument for a few months. In an interview, Vincent said he visited the arch's observation area a month before the stunt, to see if he could use a maintenance hatch for accessing the monument's peak. Due to the heavy security, he instead decided to climb up the arch's exterior using suction cups, which he had used before to scale shorter buildings. Dressed in black, Vincent began crawling up the arch around 3:30&nbsp;a.m. CST on September 14 and arrived undetected at the top around 5:45&nbsp;a.m., taking an additional 75 minutes to rest and take photos before finally jumping. During this time, he was seen by two traffic reporters inside the [[One Metropolitan Square]] skyscraper.<ref name="STLPD jump">{{cite news |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/s/InfoWeb/aggdocs/AWNB/0EB04DCB4831D454/0D7C12F5A8A2A86A |title=Climber Parachutes From Top Of Arch |date=September 15, 1992 |last=Smith |first=Bill |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707224031/http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date%3AD&p_product=AWNB&p_text_direct-0=document_id%3D%28%200EB04DCB4831D454%20%29&p_docid=0EB04DCB4831D454&p_theme=aggdocs&p_queryname=0EB04DCB4831D454&f_openurl=yes&p |archive-date=July 7, 2019 |access-date=March 25, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Vincent was also spotted mid-air by Deryl Stone, a Chief Ranger for the National Park Service. Stone reported seeing Vincent grab his parachute after landing and run to a nearby car, which quickly drove away. However, authorities were able to detain two men on the ground who had been videotaping the jump.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=N5FKAAAAIBAJ&pg=5955,2865869&dq=suction+cup+gateway+arch&hl=en |title=Man parachutes off Gateway Arch |agency=Associated Press |date=September 15, 1992 |work=[[The Telegraph (Nashua)|The Telegraph]] |location=Nashua, NH |access-date=March 25, 2011 }}</ref> Stone said 37-year-old Ronald Carroll and 27-year-old Robert Weinzetl, both St. Louis residents, were found with a wireless communication headset and a video camera, as well as a still camera with a [[telephoto lens]]. The two were also charged with two misdemeanors: disorderly conduct and commercial photography in a national park.<ref name="STLPD jump" /> Vincent later turned himself in and initially pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.<ref name="STLPD innocent" /> However, he eventually accepted a guilty plea deal in which he testified against Carroll and Weinzetl, revealing that the two consented to record the jump during a meeting of all three on the day before his stunt occurred.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VOwwAAAAIBAJ&pg=3279,1302928 |title=Photographer of arch jumper guilty of misdemeanor |date=January 24, 1993 |agency=Associated Press |work=[[The Nevada Daily Mail]] |access-date=March 25, 2011 }}</ref> [[United States magistrate judge|Federal magistrate judge]] David D. Noce ruled on January 28, 1993, that Carroll had been involved in a [[conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]] and was guilty of both misdemeanor charges; the charges against Weinzetl were dropped by federal prosecutors. In his decision, Noce stated, "There are places in our country where the sufficiently skilled can savor the exhilaration and personal satisfaction of accomplishing courageous and intrepid acts, of reaching dreamed-of heights and for coursing dangerous adventures," but added that other places are designed for "the exhilaration of mere observation and for the appreciation of the imaginings and the works of others. The St. Louis Arch and the grounds of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial are in the latter category."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/s/InfoWeb/aggdocs/AWNB/0EB04DFDE9ECCFA8/0D7C12F5A8A2A86A |title=Guilty: Man Who Filmed Arch Climber |date=January 29, 1993 |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707224154/http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date%3AD&p_product=AWNB&p_text_direct-0=document_id%3D%28%200EB04DFDE9ECCFA8%20%29&p_docid=0EB04DFDE9ECCFA8&p_theme=aggdocs&p_queryname=0EB04DFDE9ECCFA8&f_openurl=yes&p |archive-date=July 7, 2019 |access-date=March 25, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

After his guilty plea, Vincent was sentenced to a $1,000 fine, 25 hours of community service, and a year's probation. In December 1992, Vincent was sentenced to ninety days in jail for violating his probation.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.dropzone.com/forums/topic/31689-st.louis%2C-mo-arch-base-jump/ |title=St. Louis, MO Arch Base Jump |date=January 3, 2004 |work=Dropzone.com |access-date=April 10, 2019 }}</ref>{{unreliable source|date=November 2024}}