Daredevil Alex Harvill died on Thursday (June 17) while practicing for a world-record ramp-to-dirt motorcycle jump. Harvill was planning to attempt a 351-foot jump, which is equivalent to the length of a football field from goal post to goal post, during the Moses Lake Airshow on Thursday.

Harvill was doing a practice run at the Grant County International Airport, which is about 105 miles southwest of Spokane, Washington, when his motorcycle crashed into the top edge of the large dirt landing ramp. His helmet flew off, and he was thrown from his bike, landing nearly 20 feet away.

An on-site medical team rushed to help Harvill while they waited for an ambulance to arrive. Harvill was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Officials said an autopsy will be conducted to determine the exact cause of death.

"Our deepest sympathies go out to Alex's family, friends, and loved ones," Grant County Coroner Craig Morrison said in a statement.

Harvill was trying to break the record set by Australia's Robbie Maddison on March 29, 2008. He already owned the world record for dirt-to-dirt jump, which he established in 2013 by completing a 297-foot jump.

Doug Pike

About Doug Pike