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Cave Death of Diver Still a Puzzle=20
Accident: Paul Hayden, a highly trained Air Force rescuer, lost his =
life in area he explored as a child. Family and colleagues are stunned.=20
By ANDREW BLANKSTEIN, JEFFREY GETTLEMAN, Times Staff Writers
LA CRESCENTA--The accident was freakish enough--a diver getting =
trapped in an old, murky well, his safety rope hopelessly tangled as he =
fought for air.=20
But the fact that it happened to Paul Francis Hayden, say those =
close to him, is truly unexplainable.=20
Hayden was a U.S. Air Force pararescue jumper, a member of one of =
the most elite, best-trained units in the military, a tightly muscled =
39-year-old who plunged from helicopters and swam against currents and =
hoisted hurt fisherman from frothy seas.=20
Hayden died Sunday during a recreation dive in Goss Canyon in which =
he suffocated in an 85-year-old abandoned well blasted out of a =
mountainside.=20
His colleagues at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz., =
were stunned when they learned about the accident. Hayden, who joined =
the Air Force's equivalent of the Navy SEALS in 1986, was a full-time =
pararescue instructor known for his caution and reserve.=20
"Paul was not a thrill seeker," said his commanding officer, Col. =
Kent Clark. "He was extremely careful. He was always very conscientious =
about inspecting his equipment and took care of the people with him. I =
just can't figure out what went wrong."=20
On Sunday, Hayden, a master sergeant, and his brother Michael, 42, =
hiked into remote, rugged Goss Canyon in the foothills of La Crescenta, =
lugging scuba equipment, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's =
Department.=20
Goss Canyon is a local's secret, not known to many outsiders but a =
scenic refuge for those who can find it. At the top of the canyon, =
buried within the steep granite walls, is a well that was opened in 1915 =
and long since abandoned. Hayden and his six brothers and sisters, who =
grew up in La Crescenta, turned the well into a summer hangout, swimming =
and diving in the pools and exploring myriad tunnels and caverns that =
reach hundreds of feet underground, said Hayden's mother, Edythe.=20
On Sunday, the two brothers crawled into the 3-by-4-foot well =
opening, tethered themselves to each other with a rope and began diving =
with air tanks and lights. They had done this countless times before, =
Edythe Hayden said. Often Paul Hayden would carry a lighter with him to =
test the air pockets inside the caverns for poisonous gases.=20
But within 15 minutes of starting the dive, something went wrong. =
Hayden's rope got tangled while he was squeezed into one of the narrow =
tunnels filled with cold, silty water, authorities said. His brother =
tried to pull him out but couldn't.=20
At 1:20 p.m., Michael Hayden burst through the doors of the =
Crescenta Valley sheriff's station asking for help. Sheriff's divers =
responded and three hours later found Hayden's body in a shaft half-full =
of water.=20
Hayden, whose head was above the water surface, apparently =
suffocated from lack of oxygen, said Scott Carrier of the Los Angeles =
County coroner's office. Carrier could not say whether Hayden might have =
become asphyxiated on air filled with carbon dioxide, but he said =
Hayden's scuba tank still held plenty of air.=20
An autopsy will be scheduled later this month, Carrier said.=20
Hayden's family described the Air Force sergeant as an adventurer =
who once fought an octopus in the Atlantic Ocean, who enjoyed extreme =
sports like ice climbing and hang gliding, and who always was up for =
another challenge, another impossible test.=20
"Paul was energy," said his sister Christine.=20
Hayden, who was visiting his family home in La Crescenta, was one =
of the most experienced pararescue jumpers in the country, said Clark, =
the commanding officer. He had powered his way through extensive =
physical training--sets of 100 push-ups, swimming 4,000 meters, running =
six miles in less than 40 minutes. He had won 17 medals for his military =
service.=20
"The guy was a complete stud," said Chief Pararescueman Victor =
Villasenor, one of Hayden's training comrades. "He was strong, in =
excellent shape. He was kind. He was witty. He was the type of guy who =
belonged in the movies."=20
=20
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<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">
<P><FONT size=3D3><SPAN class=3DcHeadline1><B>Cave Death of Diver
Still =
a Puzzle=20
<BR></B></SPAN><!-- end main headline --><!-- start keydeck
--><IMG =
alt=3D""=20
height=3D6 hspace=3D3 src=3D"http://www.latimes.com/images/blackpix.gif" =
vspace=3D2=20
width=3D6> Accident: Paul Hayden, a highly trained Air Force rescuer, =
lost his=20
life in area he explored as a child. Family and colleagues are stunned. =
<BR><!-- end keydeck --><!-- start author & byline --></FONT>
<P><FONT size=3D3><SPAN class=3Dcauthor>By <A=20
href=3D"mailto:Andrew.Blankstein@la*.co*">ANDREW BLANKSTEIN</A>, <A=20
href=3D"mailto:Jeffrey.Gettleman@la*.co*">JEFFREY GETTLEMAN</A>, =
Times Staff=20
Writers<BR><BR></SPAN></FONT>
<P><!-- end author & byline --><!--STORY BEGINS-->
<P><SPAN class=3DcLocation><!-- dateline --></SPAN><SPAN=20
class=3DcontentFirst><BR><FONT size=3D3> LA =
CRESCENTA<WBR>--<WBR>The accident was freakish enough--a diver getting =
trapped=20
in an old, murky well, his safety rope hopelessly tangled as he fought =
for air.=20
<BR> But the fact that it happened to Paul =
Francis=20
Hayden, say those close to him, is truly unexplainable.=20
<BR> Hayden was a U.S. Air Force pararescue =
jumper,=20
a member of one of the most elite, best-trained units in the military, a =
tightly=20
muscled 39-year-old who plunged from helicopters and swam against =
currents and=20
hoisted hurt fisherman from frothy seas.=20
<BR> Hayden died Sunday during a recreation =
dive in=20
Goss Canyon in which he suffocated in an 85-year-old abandoned well =
blasted out=20
of a mountainside. <BR> His colleagues at=20
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz., were stunned when they =
learned=20
about the accident. Hayden, who joined the Air Force's equivalent of the =
Navy=20
SEALS in 1986, was a full-time pararescue instructor known for his =
caution and=20
reserve. <BR> "Paul was not a thrill =
seeker," said=20
his commanding officer, Col. Kent Clark. "He was extremely careful. He =
was=20
always very conscientious about inspecting his equipment and took care =
of the=20
people with him. I just can't figure out what went wrong."=20
<BR> On Sunday, Hayden, a master sergeant, =
and his=20
brother Michael, 42, hiked into remote, rugged Goss Canyon in the =
foothills of=20
La Crescenta, lugging scuba equipment, according to the Los Angeles =
County=20
Sheriff's Department. <BR> Goss Canyon is a =
local's=20
secret, not known to many outsiders but a scenic refuge for those who =
can find=20
it. At the top of the canyon, buried within the steep granite walls, is =
a well=20
that was opened in 1915 and long since abandoned. Hayden and his six =
brothers=20
and sisters, who grew up in La Crescenta, turned the well into a summer =
hangout,=20
swimming and diving in the pools and exploring myriad tunnels and =
caverns that=20
reach hundreds of feet underground, said Hayden's mother, Edythe.=20
<BR> On Sunday, the two brothers crawled =
into the=20
3-by-4-foot well opening, tethered themselves to each other with a rope =
and=20
began diving with air tanks and lights. They had done this countless =
times=20
before, Edythe Hayden said. Often Paul Hayden would carry a lighter with =
him to=20
test the air pockets inside the caverns for poisonous gases.=20
<BR> But within 15 minutes of starting the =
dive,=20
something went wrong. Hayden's rope got tangled while he was squeezed =
into one=20
of the narrow tunnels filled with cold, silty water, authorities said. =
His=20
brother tried to pull him out but couldn't. =
<BR> At=20
1:20 p.m., Michael Hayden burst through the doors of the Crescenta =
Valley=20
sheriff's station asking for help. Sheriff's divers responded and three =
hours=20
later found Hayden's body in a shaft half-full of water.=20
<BR> Hayden, whose head was above the water =
surface, apparently suffocated from lack of oxygen, said Scott Carrier =
of the=20
Los Angeles County coroner's office. Carrier could not say whether =
Hayden might=20
have become asphyxiated on air filled with carbon dioxide, but he said =
Hayden's=20
scuba tank still held plenty of air. =
<BR> An=20
autopsy will be scheduled later this month, Carrier said.=20
<BR> Hayden's family described the Air =
Force=20
sergeant as an adventurer who once fought an octopus in the Atlantic =
Ocean, who=20
enjoyed extreme sports like ice climbing and hang gliding, and who =
always was up=20
for another challenge, another impossible test.=20
<BR> "Paul was energy," said his sister =
Christine.=20
<BR> Hayden, who was visiting his family =
home in La=20
Crescenta, was one of the most experienced pararescue jumpers in the =
country,=20
said Clark, the commanding officer. He had powered his way through =
extensive=20
physical training--sets of 100 push-ups, swimming 4,000 meters, running =
six=20
miles in less than 40 minutes. He had won 17 medals for his military =
service.=20
<BR> "The guy was a complete stud," said =
Chief=20
Pararescueman Victor Villasenor, one of Hayden's training comrades. "He =
was=20
strong, in excellent shape. He was kind. He was witty. He was the type =
of guy=20
who belonged in the movies."=20
<BR> </FONT></P></SPAN></FONT></D
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