DA Update: Skydiving instructor and his student killed after hitting building…
Top photo: The scene where tandem skydivers were found after hitting barn… right after both men were rushed away in ambulances…
UPDATE from Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O’Keefe:
Marstons Mills Skydiving Incident
Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O’Keefe and Barnstable Police Chief Paul McDonald announced today the identity of the two individuals that died while skydiving during the late afternoon of September 28th at the Marstons Mills Airport in Barnstable.
Andrew Munson (DOB 2/19/1985) of Nantucket and his instructor, Eldon Burrier (DOB 11/30/1965) of West Lynnwood, Washington.
The two were involved in a tandem jump from a plane operated by Sky Dive Barnstable at the airport located on Race Lane. The victims struck a shed on private property in the Race Lane area adjacent to the airport.
The matter remains under investigation by Barnstable Police, Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office, Massachusetts Aeronautics Association, NTSB and FAA.
UPDATE: The tandem jump took place from a plane operated by a business named Skydive Barnstable (website link). The deadly plummet ended about a block from the Marstons Mills skydiving school. According to the Skydive Barnstable website, they operate their business out of the Cape Cod Airfield (Website link). The victims were attached to each other when they crashed into a building after missing the landing zone.
Initial HN coverage:
MARSTONS MILLS – At about 5:20pm, rescue and police rushed to 885 Race Lane (right across the street from the Cape Cod Airfield in Marstons Mills) for a report of two tandem parachutists falling from the sky at a speed that was too fast.
A neighbor heard what he thought was a frantic guttural voice saying ‘I’ll break your fall…’
Sources on scene report the two men crashed into the side of a barn and landed in a horse corral…
Rescue workers sprinted to the stricken parachutists’ aid, rushing both men up onto stretchers and into two separate ambulances. Both were suffering from grave and serious injuries…
Rescue workers rushed both patients toward CCH … and then reportedly to the Hyannis Airport to be medflighted. One source at the airport believes at least one of the patients appeared to be returned from the helicopter back into the ambulance. An ambulance then left the airport in the direction of CCH using emergency lights and sirens.
UPDATE: Sources tell HN that both patients were not medflighted, and returned to CCH from the airport…
Back at the scene of the accident, Barnstable and State Police CPAC detectives are investigating…
The following video highlights the scene with rescue workers doing their best to save these lives. It also shows the crash scene, parachute, and gear…
Firefighters and medics hustled and did all they could...
Horse may have witnessed crash...
This was the scene at the Hyannis Airport tonight when rescue workers attempted to medflight both patients. However, both patients did not leave the ground and were transported back to CCH.
9/28/2014
Robert Bastille,
