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.
Category: Mechanical Failure
According to the commercial pilot, following a skydiving operation, he returned to the airport. During
the landing attempt and as the airplane was about 15 ft above ground level, the airplane banked left and
the left main landing gear (MLG) then contacted the turf runway, so he immediately performed a goaround.
Ground personnel subsequently contacted the pilot via radio to inform him that the left MLG
had separated from the airplane. The pilot then performed an emergency landing, and, during the landing
roll, the left wing contacted the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing spar.
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.
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The airplane experienced a total loss of engine power during a skydiving flight. After the pilot switched
the fuel tank selector from the left fuel tank to the right fuel tank position, the engine restarted. The pilot
continued the flight. While returning to the departure airport and preparing for landing, the pilot
switched the fuel tank selector back to the left fuel tank position because the fuel gauge indicated a
greater fuel quantity. About 1 minute later, the engine quit. The pilot landed the airplane left of the
intended runway, about 200 feet from its end, and the airplane flipped over and pivoted on its nose.
Examination of the airplane revealed that the left fuel tank vent system was obstructed with an unknown
substance. It is likely that the obstruction prevented fuel flow to the engine and resulted in a total loss of
engine power.
A Cessna 208B Super Cargomaster skydiving plane sustained substantial damage in an accident at Lézignan-Corbières Airport. The pilot was not injured.
The airplane had dropped some skydivers and returned to land. On finals the pilot reduced power, but instead the engine delivered more power.
The pilot stated that he departed the airport with six parachutists for a jump flight. As the
airplane approached 1,000 feet above ground level, he noticed that the airplane wasn’t
climbing. He checked the engine gauges and noticed that the engine analyzer was flashing
“CHT” and the cylinder head temperature was 454 degrees F. As the pilot pitched the nose
down and turned back to the airport, he heard a muffled “thud” sound and saw white smoke
pour from the engine. As he prepared for a forced landing, four of the parachutists jumped
from the airplane. The pilot then performed a forced landing in a field, coming to a stop near a
dirt berm. An examination revealed a hole in the engine crankcase, near the No. 4 cylinder.
Various pieces of metal, including part of a “quick oil drain plug” were found in the engine oil
sump. The No. 4 connecting rod journal appeared distorted and displayed extensive heat
signatures. The crankshaft journals on either side of the No. 4 rod journals did not appear to be
distorted or to contain the same heat signatures and were coated with engine oil. The rod and
crankshaft bearings were scored. The signatures on the engine were consistent with the loss of
lubricant to the No. 4 connecting rod journal. A reason for the loss of engine oil to the journal
was not found.
The pilot said that he normally flew the airplane with the fuel selector positioned to the right
main fuel tank during skydiving operations. However, on the day of the accident, maintenance
was performed on the airplane, and three engine run-ups were performed using the left main
fuel tank. The pilot ferried the airplane back to its home base uneventfully with the left main
fuel tank selected. Before the accident flight, the pilot verified that there was adequate fuel in
the right main fuel tank; however, he did not reposition the fuel selector to the right main fuel
tank. During climb, about 800 feet above ground level, the airplane experienced a total loss of
engine power. The pilot was unable to restart the engine and performed a forced landing.
Subsequent examination revealed that the airplane’s right main fuel tank had been
compromised and was leaking fuel, whereas the left main fuel tank was intact and devoid of
fuel. Additionally, data downloaded from the airplane’s engine monitor revealed that the
engine power loss was preceded by a loss of fuel flow. Postaccident examination did not reveal
any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal
operation.
According to the pilot, as he taxied the airplane to the runway for takeoff, the left main landing gear collapsed. Examination revealed that the left main landing gear had fractured and completely separated from the airplane about 6 inches outboard of its attachment point at the airframe.
The pilot received an unsafe landing gear indication for the left main landing gear when he configured the airplane for landing. He cycled the gear and then attempted a manual extension, both without success. The pilot then completed the landing on the nose and right main landing gear. A post accident examination of the left main landing gear actuator revealed that the supports for the actuator bearings lacked lubrication and that the bearings displayed wear due to inadequate lubrication.
The flight departed to the east with four skydivers for a local jump. One witness stated that, immediately following the takeoff, about 200 feet above ground level, a “percussive” pop from the engine was heard. Two witnesses stated that the right wing dropped, and the airplane impacted the ground.
During flight at 10,000 feet above ground level, the engine began to vibrate and run rough. Shortly thereafter, a loud bang occurred and oil was present on the windscreen. The pilot attempted a forced landing, and during the forced landing, the airplane landed short of the runway and impacted a ditch.
The Beech King Air had undergone maintenance that included a landing gear disassembly and inspection in preparation for the airplane’s sale. Following the landing gear inspection, the left main landing gear strut was overfilled to an extension that exceeded maintenance specifications due to the strut not being able to maintain the manufacturer’s specified pressure/extension.
The pilot was departing from a soft, dry, 2,200-foot turf airfield using soft/short field procedures. After becoming airborne, the airplane settled back onto the runway, became airborne, and settled onto the runway a second time. At this time the right main wheel separated and the landing gear strut dug into the terrain spinning the airplane around and bringing it to an abrupt stop.
The airplane used for the skydiving operation was equipped with a foot step just above the right wheel, which the skydivers used to launch from the airplane. As the last of four skydivers stepped on the foot step, the right main landing gear fell away. The pilot reported that after he flew around for about 1 1/2 hours to burn off fuel, he intended to perform a low pass over the runway before coming around to land.
The private pilot stated that he was at an altitude of 3,500 feet when the engine stopped producing power. He made a forced landing to field and struck a cedar post with the airplane’s nose wheel and subsequently flipped over resulting in structural damage to the vertical stabilizer
The pilot reported that there were no observed anomalies with the left wing prior to the flight. During the flight, which was conducted as a local parachute operation, the pilot performed a descending turn. The left wing’s aileron bound when the pilot attempted to level the bank. The pilot declared an emergency.
The pilot reported that the airplane, which was used for sky diving operations, was climbing through 7,000 feet mean sea level (msl) when he heard an explosion followed by a metal grinding noise coming from the engine section of the airplane. He felt the airplane vibrate, and smoke began to fill the cabin. He reported that the engine was not producing any power so he shut the fuel off and performed procedures to rid the cabin of smoke.
On July 29, 2006, about 1345 central daylight time, a de Havilland DHC 6 100, N203E, registered to Adventure Aviation, LLC, and operated by Skydive Quantum Leap as a local parachute operations flight, crashed into trees and terrain after takeoff from Sullivan Regional Airport, near Sullivan, Missouri. The pilot and five parachutists were killed, and two parachutists were seriously injured.
The airplane took off with its third lift of skydivers for the day. The engine began to run roughly at rotation, and due to the speed of the airplane, and the lack of remaining runway, the pilot elected to continue the takeoff. The pilot initially turned toward a public roadway for a forced landing, but the airplane continued to climb under partial power, so he maneuvered back to the airport for a downwind landing on the runway.
During takeoff roll, the airplane’s right landing gear tire blew. The left wing raised up and the airplane drifted right. The pilot shut down the power. The pilot then stated that the right wheel caught the raised grass area on the edge of the runway. The airplane’s tail swung to the right and the right landing gear collapsed.
The airplane lost engine power during descent. The 1,127-hour pilot elected to perform emergency engine out procedures and prepared for an emergency landing. After impact, the pilot observed the right engine nacelle engulfed in flames, which then spread to the fuselage. Review of the engine logbook revealed the engine was being operated in excess of 1,000 hours of the manufacturer’s recommended time between overhauls of 3,600 hours.
Witnesses observed the airplane depart to the north, and experience a partial loss of power during the takeoff climb. The airplane then began a turn to the left, and initiated what appeared to be a right base entry for a landing on runway 20. The airplane continued the turn, past 270 degrees, and as it flew beyond the end of the runway, the engine appeared to regain power and the airplane began a climb.
A witness reported that the airplane touched down within 1,000 feet of the runway threshold. The airplane rolled about 200 feet, and the nose gear collapsed. The airplane then veered left and came to rest inverted. The witness added that the nose gear collapse left scrape marks on the runway. Examination of the airplane revealed that the upper link of the nose gear torque knee had failed.
The airplane sustained substantial damage on impact with trees and terrain during a forced landing to a field following an in-flight loss of engine power. Skydivers had been dropped prior to the loss of engine power and the pilot reported no injuries. The pilot stated, “I climbed to 11000 [feet.] Was not getting usual climb rate. Before decent found I could not close cowl flaps. Decended to 6000 feet. Noticed eratic raise on manifold gage.
The pilot reported that she taxied the aircraft to the grass covered run-up area in preparation for takeoff. As the aircraft moved over the grass, a ‘snapping’ sound was heard and the aircraft ’tilted back and to the right.’ The right wing and right side stabilizer contacted the ground.