# Incident 20120215003309I: Dehavilland DHC-6 TWIN OTTER, Eloy, AZ, February 15, 2012 - Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: February 15, 2012, 17:15 local time - Place: Eloy, AZ - Airport: Eloy Municipal - Damage: No damage - Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown - Operating rules: Parachute jumping (Part 105) - Location: 32.8067° N, 111.5866° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at ELOY MUNI (E60), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.8067&lon=-111.5866&mi=10 - Aircraft: N924MA, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N924MA) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Dehavilland DHC-6 TWIN OTTER (registry code 2802606, https://openairdocs.org/model/dehavilland-dhc-6-twin-otter) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: U/A Canada PT6 SER 578HP (registry code 61501, https://openairdocs.org/engine/u-a-canada-pt6-ser-578hp) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: DEHAVILLAND DHC-6 TWIN OTTER - Reported engine: U/A CANADA PT6 SER 578HP - People aboard: 0 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 1 - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120215003309I ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. SKYDIVER (KE DIME) EXITED THE JUMP BIRD AT APPROXIMATELY 5000 FT AGL FOR THE PURPOSES OF PRACTICING A "SWOOPING" LANDING. (SWOOPING IS A MANEUVER IN WHICH THE SKYDIVER OPERATES HIS CANOPY SO AS TO ACCELERATE HIS VERTICAL DESCENT SPEED PRIOR TO LANDING. THIS ALLOWS THE ENERGY BUILT UP IN DESCENT TO TRANSLATE INTO FORWARD SPEED AT THE TIME OF FLAIR WHICH PROPELS THE SKYDIVER FORWARD JUST ABOVE THE GROUND, IF TIMED CORRECTLY.) THIS JUMP WAS A PRACTICE JUMP TO FOR A SWOOPING COMPETITION WHICH WAS TO BE HELD THE NEXT WEEKEND. KE DEPLOYED HIS MAIN CANOPY WITHOUT INCIDENT AND WAS OPERATING / FLYING A FULLY DEPLOYED, PROPERLY OPERATING CANOPY ALL THE WAY TO THE GROUND. WITNESSES STATED THAT HE PERFORMED A 270 DEGREE LEFT HAND TURN TO FINAL AT THE APPROPRIATE ALTITUDE. HE WAS FOCUSING ON ENTERING A "GATE" AREA WHILE ON SHORT FINAL AND FAILED TO FLAIR THE CANOPY PRIOR TO IMPACTING THE GROUND. THE SKYDIVER LANDED IN A HIGH SPEED DESCENT WITH HIS LEGS PULLED UP AND HIT ON HIS BUTTOCKS. HE IMPACTED WITH SUFFICIENT FORCE TO BOUNCE BACK INTO THE AIR SEVERAL FEET AND THEN CAME TO REST NEAR A PACKING STRUCTURE ON THE SOUTH EAST CORNER OF THE LANDING ZONE.^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ SUSTAINED A BROKEN LEG AND BACK AND WAS AIR EVACED TO THE HOSPITAL. AN UPDATE REPORT FROM THE HOSPITAL NOTED THE HE STILL HAD NO FEELING IN HIS LEGS 10 DAYS AFTER THE ACCIDENT.THIS JUMPER HAD APPROXIMATELY 1500 SKYDIVES OF WHICH 200 WERE WITHIN THE PREVIOUS 6 MONTHS. THE EQUIPMENT (PARACHUTE RIG) USED IN THE JUMP WAS OWNED BY KE. THE MAIN CANOPY WAS AN ICARUS VX 89 CANOPY WITH A WING LOADING OF 2 LBS PER 1 SQ. FT. (CONSIDERED TO BE AN EXPERT LEVEL WING LOADING CANOPY). ACCORDING TO THE DROP ZONE SAFETY OFFICER KE HAD BEEN RECEIVING "CANOPY PILOTING" TRAINING AND DID A LOT OF SOLO CANOPY ORIENTED JUMPS. HE WAS TOLD BY A LOCAL RIGGER THAT KE HAD BETWEEN 50 AND 100 JUMPS ON THIS CANOPY AND IT HAD RECENTLY BEEN RE-LINED FOR A MORE "AGGRESSIVE" LINE TRIM, WHICH WOULD SUGGEST A HIGHER ANGLE OF INCIDENCE. THIS RIGGER INDICATED THAT KE HAD MADE ABOUT 15 JUMPS WITH THIS NEW LINE SETTING PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. HE WAS ALSO AWARE THAT THE RISERS HAD BEEN MODIFIED TO REDUCE DRAG THE DAY PRIOR TO THE JUMP. THE DZ SAFETY OFFICE ALSO STATED THAT HE AND KE HAD DISCUSSED THE RIG EARLIER IN THE DAY REGARDING THE MODIFICATIONS WHICH HAD BEEN DONE TO THE CANOPY, AS WELL AS THE HIGH INCIDENCE OF MALFUNCTIONS WHICH HAD BEEN PLAGUING HIM.THE CANOPY AND RIG ARE BEING EXAMINED BY A MASTER RIGGER AT THIS TIME TO DETERMINE WHETHER THERE ARE ANY ABNORMALITIES WHICH WOULD AFFECT THE ABILITY TO FLAIR THE CANOPY. ## Other reports on N924MA (7) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 20250216001239I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250216001239I), Feb 16, 2025: Dehavilland DHC-6 TWIN OTTER (N924MA), Eloy, AZ, No damage. On February 16, 2025, a de havilland Canada DHC-6, conducted parachute operations from Eloy, AZ. There was one fatality. The victim's parachute was deployed… - [Incident 20131203025079I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20131203025079I), Dec 3, 2013: Dehavilland DHC-6 TWIN OTTER (N924MA), Eloy, AZ, No damage, 2 fatal. While conducting a 200 person freefall formation jump two of the participants collided while under canopy at approximately 300 feet AGL. Both jumpers had… - [Incident 20081107854269I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20081107854269I), Nov 7, 2008: Dhav DHC6TWNOTTER (N924MA), Eloy, AZ, No damage, 1 fatal. Skydiver had completed successful freefall and was descending under a fully deployed canopy. After maneuvering the canopy to a point which was east of the… - [Incident 20070309007429I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20070309007429I), Mar 9, 2007: Dhav DHC6300 (N924MA), Eloy, AZ, 2 fatal. (-23) According to witnesses, two skydivers collided at approximately 250' above ground level, entangled their canopys, resulting in an out of control spin.… - [Incident 19960806027419I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960806027419I), Aug 6, 1996: Dhav DHC6200 (N924MA), Quincy, IL, 1 fatal. Narrative: a parachute jumper received fatal injuries on August 6, 1996 at approximately 1330 CDT after making a turn at too low an altitude. The jumper… - [Incident 19950527031709I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19950527031709I), May 27, 1995: Dhav DHC6 (N924MA), Eloy, AZ, 1 fatal. Jumpers collided after leaving formation. 2 knocked unconscious and tangled did not deplay 3rd jumper deployed. - [Incident 19921231055599I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19921231055599I), Dec 31, 1992: Dhav DHC6 (N924MA), Eloy, AZ, 1 fatal. Chutist impacted the ground when her parachute failed to properly deploy. Waited too long to deploy chute. 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.