A man died in a skydiving accident in the coastal city of Titusville, located to the east of Orlando, on Saturday, October 7, 2023. The man was identified as Frederick C. Morello, aged 69, a resident of Ormond Beach.
Found in a homeowner’s yard, Morello, an employment lawyer, had his skydiving equipment on. The location of the discovery was close to Arthur Dunn Airpark, an airpark known for several skydiving businesses.
Details surrounding the accident are sparse but the Titusville Police Department is at the helm of the investigation. Information on whether Morello was part of a group or diving individually has not been shared. Witnesses said his parachute had deployed but he had a hard landing and, according to James Sconiers whose yard Morello landed in, he “bounced like a basketball”.
On the day of the accident, the Titusville Fire Department informed via X: “Skydiver down. Report of skydiver down on Merry Ln. This is located just adjacent to Arthur Dunn Airpark.” Brevard County Fire Rescue was on-site, and while there was an early request for a helicopter, it was subsequently called off.
This is not a solitary incident related to skydiving near the airpark. Back in 2020, an event where two skydivers encountered parachute issues led to a hard landing in a residential vicinity. This incident left both severely wounded.