# Incident 20110527010179I: Dehavilland DHC-6 TWIN OTTER, Williamstown, NJ, May 27, 2011 - Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: May 27, 2011, 20:20 local time - Place: Williamstown, NJ - Airport: Cross Keys - Damage: No damage - Phase of flight: Unknown - Operating rules: Parachute jumping (Part 105) - Location: 39.7055° N, 75.0330° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at CROSS KEYS (17N), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.7055&lon=-75.0330&mi=10 - Aircraft: N166DH, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N166DH) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Dehavilland DHC-6 TWIN OTTER (registry code 2802606, https://openairdocs.org/model/dehavilland-dhc-6-twin-otter) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A series (registry code 52032, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-pt6a-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: DEHAVILLAND DHC-6 TWIN OTTER - Reported engine: P&W PT6A SER - People aboard: 0 - Fatal injuries: 1 - Other injuries: 1 - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20110527010179I ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ON 5-27-11, AT APPROXIMATELY 2020 HOURS, TWO VOLUNTARY PARACHUTISTS COLLIDED AT CROSS KEYS AIRPORT, NJ DURING A PARACHUTE JUMP FROM AIRCRAFT DHC-6-100, S/N 66, N166DH THAT IS OPERATED BY FREEFALL ADVENTURES, INC. ONE PARACHUTIST DIED AS A RESULT OF HIS INJURIES AND ONE WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED. DECEASED: MATTHEW DENNIS SARSFIELD (DOB 10-9-77)INJURED: ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE PARACHUTING OPERATIONS CONSISTED OF TWO TEAMS OF THREE MEN EACH. THE DECEASED AND SERIOUSLY INJURED PARACHUTISTS WERE MEMBERS OF A TEAM OF THREE WHO INTENDED TO LAND ONTO A PLANNED DROP ZONE. AT ABOUT 600 FEET, DURING PREPARATION AND MANEUVERING PRIOR TO LANDING AFTER THEIR MAIN PARACHUTES HAD DEPLOYED, THE TWO MEN COLLIDED. BOTH VICTIMS COULD NOT EXECUTE A SAFE LANDING. MR. SARSFIELD'S PARACHUTE HAD DEPLOYED AT APPROXIMATELY 2500 FEET, AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ PARACHUTE HAD DEPLOYED AT APPROXIMATELY 3450 FEET. FAA INSPECTORS HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE INCIDENT PRIOR TO 6-1-2011, AND INVESTIGATORS DID NOT HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO INSPECT THE POST INCIDENT PARACHUTING GEAR OF THE DECEASED PRIOR TO RELEASE OF THE EQUIPMENT TO FAMILY MEMBERS. ON 6-2-11, PHILADELPHIA FSDO INSPECTORS DISCUSSED THE PROCEDURES FOR REPORTING PARACHUTING INCIDENTS WITH THE MONROE TOWNSHIP POLICE DEPARTMENT. FAA EASTERN REGIONAL OPERATIONS CENTER CONTACT INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED FOR FUTURE INCIDENT REPORTING. ON 6-2-11, MR. SARSFIELD'S (DECEASED) EQUIPMENT WAS INSPECTED. THE EQUIPMENT CONSISTED OF A PARACHUTE, RIGGING HARNESS, SUNGLASSES, AND HELMET. NO ABNORMALITIES WERE NOTED WITH THE EQUIPMENT DURING THE INSPECTION. DESCRIPTION OF PARACHUTE AND CONTAINER SYSTEM: SINGLE-HARNESS, DUAL-PARACHUTE SYSTEM. MIRAGE (X2) DUAL CONTAINER SYSTEM; TYPE MO; S/N 02268; DATE: 3-8-2000; TSO APPROVED C23B AND NASA804; APPROVAL BASED ON COMPATIBILITY WITH MODEL RTS-2. THE MAIN PARACHUTE HAD BEEN PACKED BY MR. SARSFIELD. THE RECORDS INDICATED THAT THE EMERGENCY PARACHUTE HAD BEEN PACKED BY MASTER PARACHUTE RIGGER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ SEAL SYMBOL OX8 ON 5-6-2011. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ (INJURED) PARACHUTE WAS ALSO A SINGLE-HARNESS, DUAL-PARACHUTE SYSTEM. THE MAIN PARACHUTE WAS REPORTED TO BE PACKED BY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. RECORDS INDICATED THAT THE EMERGENCY PARACHUTE HAD BEEN PACKED BY MASTER PARACHUTE RIGGER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, SEAL SYMBOL OX8 ON 3-15-2011. EXPERENCE LEVELS: MR. SARSFIELD WAS REPORTED TO HAVE MADE 6000 JUMPS. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ## Other reports on N166DH (4) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 20250608006759A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250608006759A), Jun 8, 2025: Dehavilland DHC-6 TWIN OTTER (N166DH), Tullahoma, TN, Substantial damage. Skydive aircraft loaded 19 skydive passengers for the 4th load of the day. Pilot states that the aircraft had 360 lbs of fuel upon startup. Witnesses and pilot… - [Accident 20191011022052A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20191011022052A), Oct 11, 2019: Dehavilland DHC-6 TWIN OTTER (N166DH), Cedartown, GA, Substantial damage. On Friday October 11, 2019, at approximately 7:00 p.m. eastern daylight time, a 1967 de havilland, model DHC-6 twin otter with registration N166DH sustained… - [Incident 20140420005959I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140420005959I), Apr 20, 2014: Dehavilland DHC-6 TWIN OTTER (N166DH), Sewell., NJ, No damage, 1 fatal. Parachutist, arkady shenker, age 49, departed aircraft N166DH, a Dehavilland DHC-6-100 on his 388 jump at 13,250 feet AGL. Type of parachute used was a SABRE2… - [Incident 19920402021809I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19920402021809I), Apr 2, 1992: Dhav DHC6TWNOTTER (N166DH), Deland, FL. Chute deployment normal. Jumper landed with wind at high speed. Landed hard and sustained injuries. From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.