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20020824023919I

Incident
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FAA incident report · Cessna 208 · Trenton, TX · August 24, 2002

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 24, 2002 · 19:55 local
Place
Trenton, TX
Phase of flight
Parachute Jumping
Operating rules
Parachute jumping (Part 105)
Aircraft
N9421F
Reported as
Cessna 208
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
2
N9421FRegistered now · Cessna 208S/N 20800049Airframe modelCessna 208Engine 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) On August 24, 2002, N4921F, a Cessna 208 caravan operated by skydive dallas and piloted by eddie beaver, departed tri-county airport (48TX) with a load of parachutist for the last jump of the day. The aircraft climbed to 13,400 feet MSL. At approximately 1955 CDT, bradford todd walk and jason david fitzsimmons jumped simultaneously from the aircraft. Fitzsimmons was wearing a helmet with an attached video camera and was recording the flight of walk. The recording provided good evidence of the events. Walk was not wearing any protective head gear. Review of the video shows both parachutists main chutes were deployed and functioning normally. The video showed walk's flight consisted of multiple spiral maneuvers. The last spiral maneuver resulted in a body-to-body impact. At that point the video recording stopped. Witnesses indicated that upon impact the two chutes became entangled. Witnesses stated that the helmet fitzsimmons was wearing was located several hundred feet from the bodies indicating it was knocked off in flight. Neither reserve chute was deployed. Mr. Walk and Mr. Fitzsimmons sustained fatal injuries. See attached sheet.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON AUGUST 24, 2002, N4921F, A CESSNA 208 CARAVAN OPERATED BY SKYDIVE DALLAS AND PILOTED BY EDDIE BEAVER, DEPARTED TRI-COUNTY AIRPORT (48TX) WITH A LOAD OF PARACHUTIST FOR THE LAST JUMP OF THE DAY. THE AIRCRAFT CLIMBED TO 13,400 FEET MSL. AT APPROXIMATELY 1955 CDT, BRADFORD TODD WALK AND JASON DAVID FITZSIMMONS JUMPED SIMULTANEOUSLY FROM THE AIRCRAFT. FITZSIMMONS WAS WEARING A HELMET WITH AN ATTACHED VIDEO CAMERA AND WAS RECORDING THE FLIGHT OF WALK. THE RECORDING PROVIDED GOOD EVIDENCE OF THE EVENTS. WALK WAS NOT WEARING ANY PROTECTIVE HEAD GEAR. REVIEW OF THE VIDEO SHOWS BOTH PARACHUTISTS MAIN CHUTES WERE DEPLOYED AND FUNCTIONING NORMALLY. THE VIDEO SHOWED WALK'S FLIGHT CONSISTED OF MULTIPLE SPIRAL MANEUVERS. THE LAST SPIRAL MANEUVER RESULTED IN A BODY-TO-BODY IMPACT. AT THAT POINT THE VIDEO RECORDING STOPPED. WITNESSES INDICATED THAT UPON IMPACT THE TWO CHUTES BECAME ENTANGLED. WITNESSES STATED THAT THE HELMET FITZSIMMONS WAS WEARING WAS LOCATED SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET FROM THE BODIES INDICATING IT WAS KNOCKED OFF IN FLIGHT. NEITHER RESERVE CHUTE WAS DEPLOYED. MR. WALK AND MR. FITZSIMMONS SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES. SEE ATTACHED SHEET.