Local Resident Killed in Parachute Accident

Temecula resident Jonathon Tagle was killed in a parachuting
accident in Norway according to his team’s Facebook Page.

Tagle was parachuting Thursday with his teammates from the PD Factory team and members of the Fazza Sky team in the Eidfjord region in Norway.  During an afternoon run team mates reported 43-year old Tagle was flying in rough terrain when his canopy hit a tree in a narrow deep section of a gorge causing him to strike the canyon wall and fall into the river below.

“The river swept him downstream and over several waterfalls
until he got stuck at the bottom,” according to a post from the PD Factory
Team.

Tagles’ support team was able to get to him quickly via a
helicopter. During the initial rescue attempt Tagle was cut free from the
parachute lines but still wrapped in the canopy which started to re-inflate and dragged Tagles lifeless body down another waterfall. A medevac team eventually retrieved the body from a pool downstream.

The type of parachuting Tagle and his team were practicing is
canopy parachuting. According to the U.S. Parachute Association skydivers can reach speeds up to 90 miles per hour.

Fans of Tagle are posting their thoughts and goodbyes on his Facebook page.

 Padu Merloti wrote,"RIP and blue skies my friend. I still can't believe."

 "I can hardly express my sympathies to all of you.  JT was a rare talent and a terrific guy who played boldly on the cutting edge.  He has my admiration and respect.  Blue Skies JT," wrote Joe Jennings.

 Last week Tagle earned a slot on the U.S. Parachute Team at the 2012 U.S. Parachute Association National Skydiving Championships of Canopy Piloting in Georgia. He was slated to compete at the World Parachuting Championships later this year in Dubai,United Arab Emirates.