DiverDriver.comThe pilot reported that he had performed a precautionary landing to a corn field due to strong winds, heavy rain, and low fuel. He refueled the airplane and decided to continue to his destination. Initially, the pilot performed a partial takeoff, which was aborted, to obtain the conditions of the field.
The airplane was being used for sport parachute operations. During the initial climb after takeoff the right engine failed followed by the airplane’s slow descending right turn into wooded terrain. The airplane crashed through trees and caught on fire. The fire was extinguished prior to the destruction of the airplane.
The airplane was configured with a single seat, one set of controls, and with seat belts on the floor to haul parachutists. Also, it was loaded to an estimated gross weight of 2,834 lbs; the maximum certificated gross weight was 2,550 lbs. The pilot took off from a soft sod runway (rwy 9) with a crosswind component.
A passenger-parachutist stated she had exited the cabin and was on the jump platform preparing to jump from about 3,500 feet when the left wing and nose dropped and the aircraft entered a spin to the left. After an unknown number of revolutions she jumped from the aircraft and deployed her chute
The pilot stated that after parachutists egressed from the airplane, he returned to the airport and found that he did not have a green down-and-locked indication for the left main landing gear. He stated that he executed emergency procedures and did two fly-bys over the runway. Ground personnel stated that the landing gear appeared to be down-and-locked.
The pilot reported that, before takeoff with the four parachutists, he had checked the flight controls and no evidence of any mechanical problems was noted. During the takeoff roll the airplane accelerated between 60 and 65 mph, became airborne and pitched 60 degrees nose up.
The airplane lost engine power while on final approach for landing, and the pilot performed a forced landing to a unsuitable field which resulted in the airplane coming to rest in the inverted position. The pilot was performing a parachute jumping flight to an altitude of 12,500 feet MSL. During the descent the pilot used carburetor heat, but did not ‘clear’ the airplane’s engine at regular intervals.
The pilot had made a refueling stop at Vandalia, Illinois. She did not observe the refueling process, but the FBO also operated a King Air and she felt he knew the proper procedure to follow. The airplane was reportedly serviced with 235 gallons of Jet-A fuel (total capacity is 384 gallons). The pilot flew between 7,500 and 10,500 feet.
The pilot was taking off with 10 jumpers onboard. At the rotation speed of 100 knots, he used elevator trim to rotate the airplane, but it did not lift off the runway. He continued moving the trim wheel violently to pitch the nose up, and attempted to pull back on the yoke, but the airplane collided with rising terrain off the end of the runway.
The recently employed pilot-in-command (PIC) had been given a 1-hour orientation flight by another pilot the morning of the accident. The airplane used was equipped with only one seat, and the PIC flew the airplane while the pilot who gave the orientation sat on the floor.
The pilot took off with four skydivers on board the airplane, and climbed to 10,000 feet. After the skydivers exited the airplane, the pilot returned to land at the departure airport. The pilot stated that after landing, the airplane impacted parked road grading equipment. He reported that it was a dark night and winds were calm when the accident occurred.
During takeoff for the sport parachute operation, the engine sputtered and quit, and the pilot landed the airplane in a residential yard. Examination revealed that fuel flow through the fuel selector valve was restricted. The fuel selector was disassembled, and the O-rings for the left side were found swelled.
During the landing approach, the pilot realized the airplane was high and ‘started a go around, obtaining partial power.’ When he added additional power, the engine ‘stalled.’ A forced landing was made on the airport. The airplane crossed a taxiway and struck a stockpile of building material. Following the accident, the engine was started and ran ‘normally.’
The airplane was descending after jumpers had departed the airplane in a parachute jumping (skydiving) activity. For the descent, the pilot had reduced the power. When she attempted to increase power, she found that the engine had sustained a total loss of power. During a forced landing, the airplane hit a wire before touchdown, then nosed over in soft terrain.
The pilot reported that the winds were from 260 degrees at 10 knots. During the takeoff roll on runway 28, at about 60 miles per hour, he ‘began to bring the tail up for a wheel takeoff…. The airplane began to veer to the left.’ He ‘attempted to get the airplane straight with right rudder and right brake. The airplane ran off of the runway and ground looped on top of a hill.’
The pilot carried four parachute jumpers aloft; one left the aircraft at 4,500 feet and the last three left at 12,000 feet. After all the jumpers had exited, the pilot decided to do a power off stall. He stated that he was ‘curious about the gliding abilities of the 182’ and pulled the mixture control to idle cutoff when the aircraft was over the airport at 11,500 feet.
The pilot reported that after parachutists (skydivers) jumped from 13,000 feet, he returned to the airport. While on base leg for landing, two radio-controlled model airplanes were observed flying near the approach end of the runway. The model airplanes swung wide and blocked the first 2,000 feet of the approach end of the runway; thus, moving the available touchdown zone closer to the departure end of the runway.
After a normal parachute drop at 13,000 feet, the pilot initiated a descent. As the airplane descended to 2300 feet, both engines lost power. Unable to restart either engine, the pilot initiated an emergency landing to runway 9 at the departure airport. However, before reaching the runway, the airplane collided with vegetation and the airport perimeter fence. An examination of the airplane failed to disclose a mechanical problem. No usable fuel was found in the fuel system during the postaccident examination.
The pilot stated that he elected to land to the south on the 1,600-foot grass runway due to the prevailing winds at the departure airport and he had never landed at the airstrip before. He entered the pattern to land and with full flaps extended, the airplane touched down hard on the nose landing gear, bounced, then touched down and nosed over.
During a parachute jump activity one of the two parachutists on the airplane’s jump step began a cadence used to jump from the step. According to the jumpmaster the parachutist began an exaggerated rocking motion. During this rocking motion his reserve parachute’s ripcord pin protective flap brushed against the airplane’s open door.
The flight returned from dropping parachutists, and the pilot left the engines running as the next load of parachutists loaded. A passenger, who had ridden on the previous flight, was instructed by the pilot to exit through the rear door and that ground personnel would direct her.
The pilot stated that after climbing to 10,000′ msl on a skydiving flight, the occupants began preparations for the fourth and final parachute jump of the day. The first parachutist (skydiver) of three was standing on the right wing strut preparing to jump, when his main parachute (that he had packed himself) deployed inadvertently.
After one of a group of five parachutists decided not to jump from the helicopter, he failed to deactivate a safety device designed to open his reserve parachute at a preset altitude.
The airplane was loaded with 10 sport parachutists and one pilot. Later, investigators calculated that the maximum gross weight was exceeded by 149.6 pounds, and the center of gravity was 2.87 inches aft of the aft limit. The cabin door had been removed for parachuting operations; however, an altered Flight Manual Supplement had been used as authority for the door removal.
The pilot reported that climbing through 550 feet agl, the engine lost power. He lowered the nose of the airplane, established a glide, checked the engine controls and fuel selector, and pulled the carburetor heat control to no avail. At one point, ‘the engine started but would run at a fast idle, and for only a few seconds.’ he conducted a forced landing in a soybean field. Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies. During a test in a production test cell, the engine operated normally and produced maximum rated power.