The airplane was at 1,250 ft above ground level carrying a load of skydivers. According to a
skydiving instructor onboard the airplane, the jumpmaster leaned forward to assist a skydiver
in exiting the airplane when the jumpmaster’s reserve parachute inadvertently deployed and
entered the airplane’s slipstream. The jumpmaster attempted to pull the parachute back into
the airplane but was pulled into the door frame and dragged out of the airplane. The
jumpmaster, who appeared to be unconscious, descended to the ground beneath his streaming
(unopened) reserve parachute without deploying his main parachute. The pilot maintained
control of the airplane and landed safely. Examination of the jumpmaster’s reserve parachute
revealed that it was damaged by impact with the door frame, thus it did not deploy properly. It
is likely that the jumpmaster failed to guard his reserve parachute ripcord, which was exposed
on the front of his parachute, and the ripcord snagged on something as he attempted to assist
the exiting skydiver, which caused the reserve parachute to deploy prematurely.
Category: 2016
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 pilot reported that this was his third skydiving flight of the day and he performed a back taxi on the
runway for takeoff. He further reported that as he rotated the airplane for takeoff, he heard a “steady”
stall warning horn, the flight controls felt mushy, and the airplane would not climb. The pilot reported
that he aborted the takeoff and applied max braking and reverse thrust, but the airplane overran the
runway remaining. Subsequently, the landing gear collapsed and the airplane collided with a fence.
The private pilot reported that the accident flight was the second skydiving drop flight of the day. The
takeoff and initial climb were normal; however, between 900 and 1,000 ft above ground level, the
engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot executed a forced landing to a field, resulting in
substantial damage to the airplane. About 5 gallons of fuel was removed from the airplane at the
accident site before transport. During a detailed examination, flight control cable continuity was
established from the cockpit to all control surfaces. The fuel selector valve was found between the right
tank and off position. The valve functioned normally when rotated by hand. Although the fuel selector
valve was found in between the “off” and right tank positions after the accident, it could not be
determined if the valve was in that position during the flight. The fuel strainer showed a small amount of
fuel present. The fuel was tested and the results were negative for water. There was a significant amount
of debris observed in the fuel strainer and the strainer bowl. The debris was consistent with caulking and
rust particles. The airplane had usable fuel onboard during the accident flight and the engine ran
smoothly during the day’s previous flight. Whether the debris found in the fuel filter bowl contributed to
the loss of power could not be determined.
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.
Before the accident flight, the commercial pilot had conducted three flights, during which parachutists
were successfully dropped. After each flight, he returned the empty airplane to a dry grass airstrip (1,950
ft long) and conducted full-stop landings. Because the temperature was over 90° with high humidity, the
pilot requested that his manifests allow only up to 14 parachutists and a longer time between shutdowns
to ensure sufficient time for adequate engine cooling before the next flight. The pilot reported that popup
rain showers had been passing north and south of his base airport throughout the morning but that
they never came closer than 10 to 15 miles.
The commercial pilot reported that, after dropping off skydivers, he made a rapid spiraling descent back
to the airport. The pilot added that, because the wind had changed such that it resulted in a tailwind, he
initiated a go-around during the landing approach; however, when he advanced the throttle, the engine
initially surged and then lost power. The pilot made a forced landing in a corn field near the end of the
runway.
The commercial pilot was conducting a skydiving flight with 15 skydivers on board. The pilot reported
that, at 5,000 ft above ground level, he reconfigured the airplane for a climb and activated the interior
amber jump lights, which indicated that the door could be opened to spot the jump zone. Two jumpers
safely exited the airplane at that time. The pilot then initiated another climb. The pilot did not recall any
jump indication lights being illuminated in the cabin during the climb, and none of the remaining
jumpers notified him of any illuminated jump lights. However, three of the jumpers later reported that
the amber jump light remained illuminated at that time. One of the jumpers informed a senior jumper
from the operator that the light was on, but he indicated that it was not a problem, and the jumpers all
affirmed that no one informed the pilot that the amber light remained on.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, Aviation Safety Inspector that arrived at the scene
shortly after the accident, he located the uninjured pilot in command (PIC) and a passenger rated pilot
who were the only occupants of the airplane. The inspector reported that the PIC told him that he had
fueled the airplane prior to the flight. The PIC told the inspector that he had flown 2.5 hours on the right
tank which indicated 3.9 gallons of fuel remained per the electronic fuel quantity indicator, at which
time he switched to the left tank which indicated 15 gallons of fuel remained per the electronic fuel
quantity indicator. The PIC reported to the inspector thatafter switching tanks the engine ran for an
additional five minutes and ceased operation. The PIC told the inspector that he contacted air traffic
control (ATC) stating that he had experienced an “engine failure”, and that they would not make it to the
nearest airport. The pilot landed the airplane on a highway five miles from the destination airport.
During the landing the nose gear collapsed and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall.
The commercial pilot and four passenger-skydivers were departing in the airplane on a local area
skydiving flight in visual meteorological conditions. Witnesses observed the airplane make a normal
takeoff from the runway. Two witnesses reported that, shortly after takeoff, the engine seemed to stop
producing power. Subsequently, the airplane rolled to the right while rapidly losing altitude. The
airplane completed about a 360° rotation and impacted terrain in a nose-down attitude.
The commercial pilot reported that, after takeoff on the local skydiving flight, the engine experienced a
total loss of power. He initiated a turn toward the airport, but realized the airplane would not reach the
runway and chose to perform a forced landing to an open field. During the landing roll, the airplane
exited the field, crossed a road, impacted a truck, and continued into a vineyard, where it nosed over.
The airplane departed on a parachute jump flight with the airline transport pilot seated in the rear cockpit
and two parachutists standing outside on the lower wing. About 200 ft above ground level, the pilot
sensed a loss of engine power and the airplane stopped climbing. The airplane descended, and the pilot
conducted an off-airport forced landing to a flat, open, muddy field about 1,600 ft north of the airport,
during which the main landing gear separated from the airframe. A postaccident examination of the
airplane revealed no anomalies. Review of weather information for the area at the time of the accident
indicated that conditions were conducive to the accumulation of serious icing at glide power settings;
however, the airplane was operating at takeoff power at the time of the accident, and the reason for the
loss of engine power could not be determined.
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.