At the beginning of a flight for the purpose of dropping parachutists, the pilot reported that everything was normal for the start, taxi, and take off. When the airplane reached an altitude of 150 feet agl, the engine lost power. The pilot set-up for a forced landing in a field with the engine producing partial power and regaining full power, then back to partial power, until touch down. During the landing roll, the airplane collided with a fence. The carburetor icing chart indicates that the flight was being operated in serious icing at cruise and climb power. The pilot had not utilized carburetor heat for the flight.
Category: Severity
During the takeoff on runway 31, the pilot did not maintain directional control, because of the cross wind from the left. The airplane exited the grass runway and struck a ditch. The pilot had 12.6 hours total flight time in the cessna 185c. The wind was reported to be from 200 to 220 degrees at 12 knots.
Subsequent to the departure of the skydivers, the airplane entered a spiral descent. The jump door, not the sky motive jump door listed on the airplane’s form 337, which had been approved by an faa inspector, entered a flutter condition. The pilot door, windshield and pilot door window separated during the descent. This flutter condition and separation of components resulted in the pilot being unable to control the airplane. Impact occurred in a 20 to 30 degree nose low attitude in approximately a 65 degree left angle of bank.
Before departing on the initial parachute jumping flight the pilot dipped sticked both tanks and determined that they contained 23 gallons of fuel. The pilot inaccurately calculated that there would be enough fuel to conduct the initial and second flight before fueling would be required. After the parachute jumper departed the airplane on the second flight and during the normal descent to the airport the airplane sustained a total loss of power. The pilot elected to land in a grape vineyard because the airplane’s altitude was insufficient to negotiate the airport. The airplane struck a unmarked transmission wire and crashed during the emergency landing. The airplane contained about 8 gallons of fuel, the unusable amount for all attitudes.
The plts of 2 cessna 182 acft took off from rwy 10 in formation. One of these, n6384a, had 4 skydivers aboard. After takeoff, the plt of n6384a discontinued formation flt & depd to the se, while the otr cessna depd ne. At about the same time, a piper pa-28, n4676r, was apchg the arpt with a dual student & instructor (cfi) aboard. Subsequently, the 2 acft converged & collided about 1-1/2 mi se of the arpt. No known witness saw the collision; the altitude & headings of the acft were not verified. During impact, the 2 acft became entangled & they impacted the ground at the same location. An investigation revealed evidence that the high wing cessna & the low wing pa-28 converged laterally, while on flt paths that angled toward each other.
The engine lost power as the pilot made a power reduction shortly after takeoff. During a forced landing in a christmas tree crop, the airplane stalled about 90 ft agl. Investigation revealed that the muffler cones were missing. Witnesses and the pilot stated that the temperature was 40 deg f and the dew point aprx 36 deg. That combination is within the range favorable to induction system icing.
During a skydiving operation, the aircraft was slowed to slow cruise flight for a parachute jump. As skydivers were moving to the exit door for a group jump, the d-ring of one skydiver’s reserve parachute became entangled on a protruding cabin door support bracket. The reserve chute deployed & was caught in the slip stream. The skydiver was then pulled from the open door. He impacted the right horizontal stabilizer, fell 4000 ft to the ground & was fatally injured. Most of the right stabilizer was torn from the aircraft. After its separation, the aircraft entered a dive & the remaining skydivers jumped from the plane.
After lift-off, at about 100 ft agl and 85 kts, the left eng decelerated and the airplane began to yaw and roll left. The pic aborted the takeoff, turned left and landed on a flat level field. The airplane struck a fence, then trees. Examination of the left eng revealed the loss of power was attributed to a fatigue fracture of a compressor turbine blade, which led to subsequent blade fractures. The right eng was examined and found to have advance wear on the throttle cam assembly of the power turbine governor. In a test cell, only aprx 28% of takeoff power could be achieved. The cam lobe wear had progressed over an extended period of time. The right engine prop governor was replaced 11/18/90, followed by a test run.
The airplane collided with trees and power lines during takeoff from a 2000 foot long open area with 10 parachutists aboard. The pilot said he experienced an unsolicited rollback in engine power prior to the collision. Reportedly, some power was regained. However, not in time to avoid the collision. But, the jump club chairman reported that no change in the engine’s operation was observed throughout the mishap. Witnesses at the takeoff area reported that the winds were 12 knots out of the northeast, which would have given the flight a quartering tailwind component for the takeoff. According to the flight manual, the maximum demonstrated crosswind is 12 knots. The examination of the airplane failed to indicate any system malfunction or failure.
The aircraft crashed about 600 feet short of the threshold of the runway. Witnesses observed that the engine had been ‘cutting in and out’ before the crash. A photograph taken at the crash site showed the fuel selector handle displaced between the left main position and the both position.
Both aircraft were involved in a movie operation with the helicopter (n250ca) carrying a camerman. The dhc-6 (n203e) carried parachutists. The purpose of the operation was to photograph the parachutists exiting the jump aircraft. The pilot of n250ca said he was in formation with n203e and was maneuvering into camera position when the rotor blades contacted the vertical stabilizer and rudder of n203e. The pilot of n203e was not in a position to have visual contact with the helicopter.
Both aircraft were involved in a movie operation with the helicopter (n250ca) carrying a camerman. The dhc-6 (n203e) carried parachutists. The purpose of the operation was to photograph the parachutists exiting the jump aircraft. The pilot of n250ca said he was in formaton with n203e and was maneuvering into camera position when the rotor blades contacted the vertical stablilizer and rudder of n203e. The pilot of n203e was not in a position to have visual contact with the helicopter.
After climbing out of the aircraft on his first jump, the skydiver froze on the lift strut of the aircraft. The jumpmaster deployed his chute, intentionally pulling him off the aircraft. The chute deployed above the horizontal stabilizer, the skydiver went below. The canopy lines (4) were dragged across the horizontal stabilizer cutting the lines and damaging the stabilizer. The skydiver received serious injuries on landing in a field. The pilot was able to make a precautionary landing with no additional damage.
The wing flaps jammed in the mid range position. The parachutist on board exited the airplane and the pilot returned for a landing. He extended the traffic pattern and while on base leg, the engine lost power. He was unable to get the engine restarted and was beyond gliding distance to the airport. The pilot executed an off airport landing in a field, downwind. The faa reported the flaps were jammed due to a broken flap support on the inboard left flap track and the engine was test run satisfactory after the accident. Fuel was reported to be at the 1/4 level. The power loss was attributed to the fuel selector being improperly position.
Aircraft was attempting to land by use of vehicle lights. The aircraft touched down in soft terrain to the right of the runway and nosed over.
After completing a parachute drop, the pilot was returning to the airport for landing. The pilot applied carburetor heat while descending to the pattern, but turned it off during the extended down wind. When on short final, the engine suddenly lost power. The pilot was unable to land the airplane on the airport and initiated a forced landing in an open field. During the landing roll, the airplane nosed over. Examination of the engine did not reveal evidence of mechanical failure or malfunction.
The pilot of the cessna 182 was descending in a right turn after dropping parachute jumpers at 4500 ft msl. As he descended below 1500 ft msl, his aircraft collided with a beech a36. The a36 had departed from the queen city airport and was in the traffic pattern to land at the airport when the collision occurred. The cessna crashed in a paved parking lot of a shopping center and the beech crashed into a new car dealership’s parking lot. Both aircraft were destroyed along with several cars in the dealership’s lot.
The pilot reported that he detected a loss of power during the desent to land that carburetor heat seemed to correct. He discontinued the carburetor heat after a short period of time and the engine failed on final approach at approximately 500 feet agl. The icing probability chart indicates that existing conditions were conducive for carburetor icing and the spark plugs showed evidence of an over rich condition. The engine ran without problem when installed on another aircraft.
The plt was returning to land after hauling skydivers. He rprtd that while on a short final apch to land on rwy 31 with 20 to 30 deg of flaps extended, the acft entered a high sink rate in gusty wind conditions. He said that he lowered the nose to increase speed & that he planned to arrest the sink rate in the flare, but then ‘the bottom fell out’ & the acftcollided with the ground in a nose low attitude. The flt manual recommended that if the rwy length permitted, crosswind landings should be performed with the flaps retract. The manufacturer estimated that 560 ft would have been required to land the acft on a hard surface with no wind & 40 deg of flaps. The rwy length was 2800 ft. The plt rprtd the wind was variable from 240 to 270 deg with gusts to 20 kts. Aprx 20 mi southeast at shaw afb, the 1655 edt wind was rprtd to be from 260 deg at 20 gusting 28 kts.
As the acft was climbing thru 9,000 ft for 13,000 ft with skydivers aboard, the eng lost power from fuel exhaustion. The skydivers bailed out over the drop zone, then the plt attempted to return to the arpt from about 7000 ft. An emergency landing was made before reaching the rwy. The plt saw a fence ahead & applied heavy braking to avoid hitting the fence. However, the acft encountered a ditch as the plt was applying brakes & the acft nosed over.
Accident airplane was being used for sport parachute activity when engine failed during the initial climb of a jump sortie. The pic instructed his four skydiver passengers to assume a crash position and accomplished an off airport landing in a soft field. During the landing roll the nose landing gear collapsed. Post accident examination of the engine revealed a piece of duct tape obstructing the carburetor venturi restricting airflow to the engine.
The plt rprtd his apch speed was slightly fast & that he had landed long on the 2500′ grass strip. Subsequently, he was unable to stop the acft before it struck a snowbank at the end of the strip & it nosed over. The selected runway was aligned to the south. The wind was rprtd to be from the west at about 15 kts. Also, the grass strip was described as ‘slippery’ with patches of snow/ice.
Having just made a parachutist’s drop, during a sky diving operation, the private pilot spiraled down from altitude to land, but had to extend his pattern to allow a departing acft to leave. During a long final approach, the engine failed and an emergency landing was attempted in a soft plowed farm field. The acft, on landing, dug in it’s nose wheel and turned over. No mechanical or fuel irregularities were discovered during the post accident investigation and meteorological conditions were favorable for carburetor icing according to the ‘icing probablility charts’.
The pilot and three passengers were on a night flight in an aircraft that was equipped to carry skydivers. During the approach to land, the landing light failed. While attempting to get the light to operate, the pilot allowed an undershoot to develop. Subsequently, the aircraft landed short of the runway and the nose gear failed when the nose- wheel struck the runway lip. The aircraft then slid approximately 300 feet and nosed over. Mirl & threshold lights were installed, but there were no vasi lights.
The airplane landed uneventfully after a skydiver struck the horizontal stabilizer following an inadvertent deployment of his main parachute as he was preparing to exit the airplane. The skydiver was not injured and descended normally.