20010421009599I

Incident

FAA incident report · Cessna 208B · Immokalee, FL · April 21, 2001

Date: April 21, 2001 · 09:13 local
Place: Immokalee, FL
Airport: Immokalee Airport
Phase of flight: Parachute Jumping
Operating rules: Parachute jumping (Part 105)
Aircraft: N9697C
Reported as: Cessna 208B
People aboard: 8
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,900 total

N9697CRegistration cancelled Aug 5, 2004 · Cessna 208BS/N 208B0355 · Built 1993 Airframe modelCessna 208B Engine modelPratt & Whitney PT6A seriesTurbo-prop

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23)Jumpers left aircraft at 13000FT and deployed drogue parachute successfully. At 5500 ft pulled "drogue release" an nothing happened (this should have deployed main parachute), and drogue was still attached to jumpers. The "cut-away" was pulled and drogue pulled main chute away from jumpers as designed (this is suppose to active reserve, and may have). At same time the reserve handle was pulled. Jumpers rotated to a head down attitude after drogue left. Reserve chute and lines were felt deploying along instructors legs causing "tension nots" and intangled lines. Approximately 1/3 of reserve chute deployed. This cause the jumpers to complete the remainder of fall in what would be called a "flat spin".

As the FAA filed it

(-23)JUMPERS LEFT AIRCRAFT AT 13000FT AND DEPLOYED DROGUE PARACHUTE SUCCESSFULLY. AT 5500 FT PULLED "DROGUE RELEASE" AN NOTHING HAPPENED (THIS SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED MAIN PARACHUTE), AND DROGUE WAS STILL ATTACHED TO JUMPERS. THE "CUT-AWAY" WAS PULLED AND DROGUE PULLED MAIN CHUTE AWAY FROM JUMPERS AS DESIGNED (THIS IS SUPPOSE TO ACTIVE RESERVE, AND MAY HAVE). AT SAME TIME THE RESERVE HANDLE WAS PULLED. JUMPERS ROTATED TO A HEAD DOWN ATTITUDE AFTER DROGUE LEFT. RESERVE CHUTE AND LINES WERE FELT DEPLOYING ALONG INSTRUCTORS LEGS CAUSING "TENSION NOTS" AND INTANGLED LINES. APPROXIMATELY 1/3 OF RESERVE CHUTE DEPLOYED. THIS CAUSE THE JUMPERS TO COMPLETE THE REMAINDER OF FALL IN WHAT WOULD BE CALLED A "FLAT SPIN".