As the first parachutist was preparing to jump from the wing at an altitude of 12,000 feet, his reserve parachute release handle became attached to some part of the airplane. Before he could react, the parachute opened and pulled him from the wing. The partially deployed chute wrapped around the right horizontal stabilizer, slamming him against the aircraft. The right stabilizer broke away and the jumper descended to a safe landing under the deployed canopy..
Category: Non-Fatal Single-Engine
The pilot lost control of the airplane after a parachute line from a student jumper became entangled with the horizontal stabilizer and elevator trim tab. According to the pilot, the airplane became uncontrollable and entered a flat spin. Unable to arrest the spin, the pilot and other jumpers parachuted out the airplane; the airplane crashed in the woods unattended.
The airplane had departed the airport on a local area flight in order to drop two skydivers. After the departure of the parachutists a total loss of power was experienced during approach. The airplane collided with 60 foot high pine trees one half mile from the approach end of the runway. Subsequent investigation revealed that the left tank was empty; the right tank contained approximately 11 gallons, and the fuel selector handle was missing.
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.
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 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.
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 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.
During a local parachute jump flight, the airplane was unable to gain enough altitude to clear rising terrain. The airplane collided with a tree and eventually the terrain. There were no reported mechanical failures or malfunctions. The acft handbook lists 2307 lbs as max gto wt. The acc acft weighed 2280 lbs. The cg was in the rear third of the envelope at aprx 103.35. The da was aprx 6200 ft.
While attempting to takeoff from a 1,865′ turf runway on an 85 degree day with four sky divers/passengers on board, the pilot was unable to attain sufficient airspeed for lift-off and elected to abort the takeoff. The pilot estimated that he had used about 60 – 70% of the runway before initiating the remedial action, and could not stop the aircraft before the end of the runway. It ran off the departure end of the runway, across a road, into a ditch, and then nosed over.
The plt dropped off parachutists at 8,500 ft and began to descend back to arpt. The a/c was descending at 145 mph, 19 inches mp, and 2300 rpm in a long circular pattern. The flt was on final between 500 and 1000 ft msl when the plt tried to apply pwr. The eng failed to respond. After switching the fuel selector and attempting to restart the eng twice, the plt decided to lnd in a field short of the runway. During landing roll, the nose gear broke off and the a/c nosed over. Later the eng was operated to full pwr with no evidence of failure or malfuction. Calculations indicated enough fuel for operation and fuel was found in carb bowl. According to icing probability curves, the a/c was flying in conditions conducive to carb icing. The plt stated that carb heat was not applied during descent.
The airplane lost power shortly after takeoff, at 100-200 ft agl. A witness reported hearing the engine backfire several times before it lost power completely. The airplane crashed shortly thereafter, as the pilot was attempting to return to the arpt. Exam of the engine revealed that the ignition harnesses and several spark plugs were in poor condition: several ignition leads were deteriorated; 3/4 of all leads were improperly connected to the magnetos. The spark plugs fired intermittently and broke down under pressure, when operationally tested. Other evidence of poor maintenance was also found, including water contamination in the carb bowl and a deteriorated carb accelerator pump. The airplane underwent a 100 hr inspection 4 months/128 flt hrs before the accident.