Canyoneering Fatality in Mosaic Canyon

[DVexile]

Park rangers and SAR team members observed that the man’s rope was not long enough to reach the ground on a long rappel. He tied a piece of webbing to the end of the rope...

Anybody with canyoneering or rock climbing experience know if this is a fairly normal thing to do, if not ideal?

Rappelling past a knot is I believe something most climbers and canyoneers learn to do but also typically avoid doing if possible. Some routes simply require a rappel longer than a single rope and one should also know how to do it in emergency situations (for instance even on a shorter rappel you might have a knot if you had to isolate a damaged section of rope).

This is really just book learning for me as I have limited climbing experience. Maybe someone with direct canyoneering experience can come along with a more informed answer as to what is common practice.