On December 7, 2021, at 2124 eastern standard time, a Cessna 182 airplane, N5776B, was
destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Statesboro, Georgia. The commercial pilot
was fatally injured. The airplane was operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal
Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
According to a family member who spoke with the pilot the evening of the accident, she had
flown from Florida into the Statesboro-Bulloch County Airport (TBR), Statesboro, Georgia, for
a meeting in the local area and planned to return that night.
Category: Loss of Aircraft Control
On September 20, 2019, about 1230 central daylight time, a Cessna 208B, N895SF, was substantially damaged during a hard landing at Pepperell Airport (26MA), Pepperell, Massachusetts. The commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the skydiving flight that departed at 1215. The airplane was privately owned and operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
On June 29, 2019, about 0910 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 208B, N80JF, was substantially damaged while landing at Blackwater Creek Ultralight Flightpark (9FD2), Plant City, Florida. The commercial pilot was not injured. The airplane was registered to ISR Aviation LLC and operated as Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 skydiving flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed for the flight. The local flight originated about 0900.
On June 21, 2019, at 1822 Hawaii-Aleutian standard time, a Beech 65-A90, N256TA, collided with terrain after takeoff from Dillingham Airfield (HDH), Mokuleia, Hawaii. The commercial pilot and ten passengers sustained fatal injuries, and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was owned by N80896 LLC, and was being operated by Oahu Parachute Center (OPC) under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a local sky-diving flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
The pilot was conducting parachute jump operations near the airport. After climbing to altitude, he
released his jumpers and returned to land. The pilot reported that, during the landing flare, the airplane
struck the runway nosewheel first. He added that the airplane bounced, floated down the runway, and
then settled to the right of the runway.
According to the pilot, he landed the airplane on the 1,800-ft-long asphalt runway in the rain at 70 mph
with full flaps. He reported that, on final, he had considered conducting a go-around due to wind and
weather, but “we were low, slow, and 130 pounds below maximum gross weight with very dynamic
wind conditions at the time and …apartment buildings about 400 yards beyond the end of runway 19.”
During the landing, he touched down with a right crosswind, about 600 ft beyond the runway threshold.
The pilot of the twin-engine, turbine-powered airplane reported that, while providing flights for
skydivers throughout the day, he had a potential new hire pilot flying with him in the right seat. He
added that, on the eighth flight of the day, the new pilot was flying during the approach and
“approximately 200′ [ft.] south from the threshold of [runway] 15 at approximately 15 feet AGL [above
ground level] the bottom violently and unexpectedly dropped out. [He] believe[d] some kind of wind
shear caused the aircraft [to] slam onto [the] runway and bounce into the air at a 45 to 60-degree bank
angle to the right.” The prospective pilot then said, “you got it.” The pilot took control of the airplane
and initiated a go-around by increasing power, which aggravated the “off runway heading.” The right
wing contacted the ground, the airplane exited the runway to the right and impacted a fuel truck, and the
right wing separated from the airplane. The impact caused the pilot to unintentionally add max power,
and the airplane, with only the left engine functioning, ground looped to the right, coming to rest nose
down.
The pilot reported that, during the takeoff roll, the airplane encountered a wind gust and veered left off
the runway centerline. He added that the airplane became airborne but that he did not have “enough
time” to avoid a parked helicopter. Subsequently, the left wing impacted the helicopter. He then reduced
the engine power, and the airplane landed without further incident.
The pilot in the tricycle-gear-equipped airplane reported that he landed about 4 ft short of the asphalt
runway. The nose landing gear struck the 6-inch-high asphalt perimeter and separated from the airplane.
The pilot aborted the landing, the airplane bounced, and the pilot established a climb. He completed one
traffic pattern and an approach. During the second landing, the pilot chose to land on the turf safety area
parallel to the runway. When the airplane’s main landing gear touched down on the turf surface, the
airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall, fuselage, left wing, and
empennage.
The commercial pilot was conducting a skydiving flight with a night aerial pyrotechnic display.
According to the pilot and the lead jumper, who was also one of the airplane’s co-owners, a pyrotechnic
box was installed on a step on the airplane’s left main landing gear assembly spring leg just before the
flight. The pilot and the lead jumper reported that, after departure and as the airplane arrived at the
planned jump area and altitude, the skydivers were given the go-ahead to jump, and one of the jumper’s
activated the sparklers in the pyrotechnic box. Shortly thereafter, they heard an explosion and then saw
damage to the bottom of the left wing with fuel pouring out of it. The left wing became engulfed in
flames, and the skydivers successfully jumped out of the airplane. The pilot shut off the fuel and
performed a slip maneuver in an attempt to extinguish the fire to no avail. After realizing that the
airplane would not be able to reach the nearest airport, he tried to aim the airplane toward a field and
then jumped out of the airplane. The airplane subsequently impacted a house, and most of the airplane
and the house’s interior were consumed by fire.
The commercial pilot reported that, while setting up for a skydiving jump run, the airspeed was a little
slow, and the airplane abruptly stalled, rolled left, and began rotating downward. A jumper, seated in the
copilot’s seat, stated that the pilot did not retard the throttles during the recovery attempt and that the
airplane’s airspeed increased rapidly. The jumper also reported that he heard a “loud bang” during the
recovery sequence. The pilot briefly recovered the airplane to a wings-level attitude, but it then
subsequently stalled and entered another spin. During the second spin event, all the jumpers successfully
egressed. After about nine rotations, the pilot recovered the airplane to a wings- and pitch-level attitude,
and shortly thereafter, it broke off to the left and stalled and rotated downward again. The pilot
recovered the airplane again and flew back to the airport because the airplane was handling abnormally,
and he landed it without further incident.
The pilot reported that he was landing in gusty crosswind conditions following a parachute jump flight,
and that the gusty conditions had persisted for the previous 10 skydiving flights that day. The pilot
further reported that during the landing roll, when the nose wheel touched down, the airplane became
“unstable” and veered to the left. He reported that he applied right rudder and added power to abort the
landing, but the airplane departed the runway to the left and the left wing impacted a tree. The airplane
spun 180 degrees to the left and came to rest after the impact with the tree.
According to the pilot of the tricycle landing gear equipped airplane, he was performing skydiving
operations. He reported that he felt rushed in performing his assigned duties because, “the skydiving
school kept wanting me to return quicker for the next load.” The pilot recalled that after dropping the
sky divers, he made his approach to land; the airplane ballooned during the flare, and landed hard on all
three landing gear. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall.
The commercial pilot was returning the airplane to the departure airport for landing after a skydiving
flight. Two witnesses reported observing the pilot fly the airplane over the runway; one witness said it
was about 50 ft above ground level (agl), and the other witness said it was about 100 ft agl. One of the
witnesses added that, when the airplane reached the end of the runway, it pitched up about 45 degrees,
gained about 200 ft of altitude, and then entered a turn with a 45-bank angle. The witness added that,
after the airplane had turned about 90 degrees to a westerly heading, its nose dropped, and the airplane
“immediately dove.” The airplane subsequently entered a left spin and rotated about 180 degrees before
impacting trees and then the ground. A second witness noted that the engine sounded like it was at “full
throttle” during the descent as if the pilot was attempting to recover from the dive.
The pilot stated that he was conducting a skydiver “jump run”, and prior to letting the skydivers out the
radio squelch interrupter failed causing a constant static noise. After letting the skydivers out over the
airport the pilot set up the descent based on the winds acquired for the previous landing on runway 22.
As he circled for landing the manifold pressure indication “dropped off” to zero. The pilot was unsure if
he had a partial power loss or a gauge failure. He could not hear or feel the engine indications because of
the static noise on the radio squelch and descent profile, so he committed to a power off glide path for
his approach. The pilot stated that the airplanes approach speed was about 100 knots prior to the
threshold for landing. The airplane touched down beyond the threshold and as the pilot applied full
braking the airplane “ballooned” back into the air. The pilot attempted to stop the airplane but was
unsuccessful and exited the runway, coming to rest after colliding with a ditch.
The commercial pilot was conducting a local skydiving flight with four skydivers. After the airplane
climbed to 3,800 ft, one of the skydivers deployed, and at 11,000 ft, the remaining three skydivers
deployed. The pilot stated that the procedure for deploying skydivers was to input 10° of flaps before the
skydivers’ deployment. After the last skydiver exited the airplane, the pilot closed the door and started to
retract the flaps from 10° to 0°. The pilot heard a “metallic” snap, and the airplane went into a spin. The
pilot recovered the airplane from the spin about 7,000 ft. He discovered that the right flap was partially
deployed about 5° down and appeared to be crooked in its track. In addition, he noted a vibration from
the right flap with restricted aileron control. The pilot stated that lateral control was difficult to maintain.
After a radio conference with a mechanic and about 30 minutes of trying to control the airplane, the pilot
chose to bail out of the airplane; he maneuvered the airplane over unpopulated farmland, shut down the
engine, and parachuted. The pilot watched the airplane circle after his parachute deployed. The pilot
landed and did not sustain injuries; the airplane impacted terrain and sustained substantial damage.
According to the pilot, he was attempting a soft field landing on runway 27. Following a stable
approach and landing, a gust of wind was encountered. The airplane veered to the right and the
pilot was unable to stop the airplane before the right wing struck a wind sock pole. An
inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration examined the airplane and confirmed
substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical
malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
According to the pilot’s report, he leveled the airplane about 11,000 feet and established a speed of 80 mph with 10 degrees of flaps extended. When the last skydiver exited the airplane, its nose pitched up. The pilot pushed forwarded on the control wheel and added full engine power
The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to make numerous takeoffs and transport skydivers to
an adequate jumping altitude. The first takeoff was uneventful, and after the skydivers egressed the
airplane, the pilot returned back to the airport. During the landing, the airplane bounced three times
down the runway. The pilot taxied to the hangar and without shutting down the engine, boarded the
second load of skydivers. Shortly thereafter, the pilot departed and during the initial climb, he attempted
to retract the landing gear. The landing gear would not retract and the pilot decided to continue the flight
with the landing gear extended. After the skydivers jumped, the pilot landed without incident. He taxied
back to the hangar and shut down the engine. After exiting the airplane he noticed that the propeller tips
were bent. As a result of the impact, the firewall was substantially damaged.
At least 10 civilian parachutists were killed alongside a pilot today when their light plane crashed into a field in Belgium. Four of those on board the stricken Pilatus PC-6 Porter had been seen desperately trying to get out after the aircraft caught fire and a wing dropped off. But they were unable to open their chutes before the plane crashed into the ground near the town of Marchovelette, in the southern Namur region.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2467472/Belgium-plane-crash-kills-10-parachutists.html#ixzz2iVbcMnCN
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The commercial pilot said he applied full power to go around after a bounced landing. Torque
generated by the turboprop engine pulled the airplane to the right, and the pilot stated that he
was unable to arrest the turn. The airplane collided with trees, resulting in substantial damage
to the right wing, fuselage, vertical stabilizer, both horizontal stabilizers, and the rudder. The
pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane or engine
that would have precluded normal operation.
According to the pilot, during the landing on a grassy area that was parallel to the paved
runway, the airplane touched down and impacted a ditch near an intersecting taxiway. The
airplane became airborne, touched down on the other side of the intersecting taxiway, bounced
again, and then landed hard on the nose gear, which resulted in substantial damage to the
fuselage and subsequent collapse of the nose landing gear. In a telephone interview, the pilot
stated that the ditch was about 200 feet from his initial touchdown point and that he regularly
lands on the grass, in the opposite direction, in order to minimize the wear on the main landing
gear tires. No preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures were noted with the airplane
that would have precluded normal operation.
The airplane had climbed to an altitude of about 11,000 feet mean sea level (msl) with 12 parachutists
seated inside the airplane on two rear-facing “straddle benches.” The airplane was flying at an indicated
speed of 100 mph with the flaps retracted. The operator’s written guidance for “skydiving jump runs”
indicated that the airspeed should be maintained at 110 to 120 mph and that the flaps should be set at 30
degrees. As the airplane arrived at the planned drop location, the parachutists stood up, opened the door,
and moved farther aft in the airplane to prepare for their jump. Five of the parachutists were positioned
aft of the straddle benches and were hanging onto the outside of the airplane, several of the other
parachutists were standing in the door, and the remainder of the parachutists were standing in the cabin
forward of the door. According to instructions on the operator’s skydiver briefing card, no more than
four jumpers should be allowed to occupy the door area during exit. Several parachutists heard the
sounds of the airplane’s stall warning system, and the airplane then suddenly rolled and began to
descend. All 12 parachutists quickly exited the airplane. Several witnesses reported seeing the airplane
turning and descending in an inverted nose-down attitude and then appear to briefly recover, but it then
entered a nearly vertical dive, which is consistent with a loss of control event as a result of an
aerodynamic stall and subsequent entry into a spin.
The pilot said that, while on short final, the airplane experienced a sudden sink rate when the
wind changed from a head wind to calm conditions. He was unable to arrest the sink rate even
after power was applied because of the lag time for the airplane’s turbine engine to spool up.
The airplane landed hard short of the runway. Postaccident examination of the airplane
revealed that the left side of the fuselage was dented and wrinkled, and the left main landing
gear was bent inboard of the axle and was missing its brake assembly.