Before departure for the positioning flight, the pilot was told that an observer/passenger would be
joining him for the flight. The airplane, which was typically used in skydiving operations, had its right
cabin door removed, and a fabric roll-up jump door had been installed; it was not closed during the
flight. The pilot reported that the passenger sat behind him on the right side of the airplane and that he
heard him attach his seatbelt. During the flight, the passenger moved forward in the cabin, which
resulted in the passenger’s reserve parachute inadvertently deploying and the passenger being pulled
through the open jump door. The passenger hit the doorframe, and the parachute became entangled with
the empennage, which resulted in a loss of airplane control and a subsequent aerodynamic stall. The
parachute eventually separated from the empennage, and the pilot was able to regain control of the
airplane and land it without further incident. A postaccident examination revealed that the passenger had
inadvertently attached his seatbelt to the handle that released the reserve parachute. Therefore, the
reserve parachute deployed when the passenger moved. The pilot did not conduct a safety briefing
before the flight; however, the improper routing of the seatbelt may not have been identified even if he
had conducted a safety briefing. Additionally, if the jump door had been closed, it is likely that the
passenger would not have been pulled out of the airplane.
Category: IA
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.