LODD Report: Cincinnati Firefighter Wasn't Discovered Missing for 10 Minutes

A Cincinnati firefighter who fell to his death in an elevator shaft earlier this year wasn't missed for about 10 minutes.

Also, the door Firefighter Daryl Gordon opened had been marked "Do Not Enter Open Shaft" by other firefighters minutes earlier.

Those were among the findings of a probe into Gordon's death on March 26. The report was released Friday morning.

It took fellow firefighters almost 10 minutes to realize FAO Daryl Gordon was missing after he fell down an elevator shaft in a smoky apartment building March 26, according to a preliminary report released Friday.

Gordon, 54, was searching for survivors in the smoky Kings Tower Apartments complex on Dahlgren Street in Madisonville when he fell down the shaft at 6:12 a.m., investigators wrote in the report.

Crews tried three times before they were successful in spending a Mayday.

Investigators noted that the Heavy Rescue 14 team discovered the elevator door could be easily opened, even though it led to an empty shaft.

Two minutes after they left, Gordon opened the door and fell headfirst to his death. 

His low air alarm was heard from the elevator by fellow firefighters, who spotted a helmet on top of the car.