Wind May Have Been A Factor

A skydiver who jumped with several other people -- including his son -- was killed Sunday when he slammed into a utility pole. The force of the collision sheared the pole in half, according to local news reports.

Darrell Breakiron, the 51-year old son of an Erie (PA) jeweler, had jumped as part of the company's Fourth of July celebration. An hour before his fatal accident, he and several other jumpers had been caught by a gust of wind, but none was hurt.

The Erie County coroner said Breakiron died of a blunt trauma to his chest after he hit the pole, became entangled in the wires, and brought them down with him as he fell to the ground.

"He was just coming down, and I think he was too low," Jennifer Dodsworth, who watched the accident from the front lawn of her mother's house, told the Erie Times-News newspaper. "He just hit the telephone pole and cracked it."

FAA Preliminary Accident Report

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 8564T        Make/Model: C182      Description: 182, Skylane
  Date: 07/04/2004     Time: 0015

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Unknown

LOCATION
  City: ERIE                        State: PA   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AUTHORITIES RESPONDED TO A REPORT THAT A PARACHUTIST HAD FALLEN INTO POWER
  LINES DURING A PERFORMANCE. THE PARACHUTIST WAS DECLARED FATAL. ERIE, PA

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   1
                 # Crew:    1     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:     1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:            Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: NOT REPORTED                                                               
                                                                                    
                                                        

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Other      Phase: Cruise      Operation: General Aviation

  Departed: NOT REPORTED                Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination:                          Flt Plan: UNK          Wx Briefing: U
  Last Radio Cont: 
  Last Clearance: 

  FAA FSDO: ALLEGHENY CO., PA  (EA03)             Entry date: 07/06/2004

FMI: www.ntsb.gov