# Incident 20140403006159I: Dehavilland DHC-6-200, Eloy, AZ, April 3, 2014

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 3, 2014, 07:30 local time
- Place: Eloy, AZ
- Damage: No damage
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: Parachute jumping (Part 105)
- Location: 32.7559° N, 111.5548° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Eloy, AZ, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.7559&lon=-111.5548&mi=10
- Aircraft: N204BD, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N204BD) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Dehavilland DHC-6-200 (registry code 2802620, https://openairdocs.org/model/dehavilland-dhc-6-200) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60A (registry code 52043, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-canada-pt6a-60a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: DEHAVILLAND DHC-6-200
- Reported engine: P&W CANADA PT6A-60A
- People aboard: 24
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140403006159I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

DURING A 222 WAY SKYDIVING FORMATION ATTEMPT THE JUMPER FLEW IN THE FORMATION AND DEPLOYED HER CANOPY AT APPROXIMATELY 2000 AGL. WITNESSES STATED THEY OBSERVED THE JUMPER UNDER A MALFUNCTIONING CANOPY IN A CLOCKWISE SPIN.  THE JUMPER CONTINUED TO DESCEND UNDER THE SPINNING CANOPY AND WAS OBSERVED TRYING TO "KICK OUT" OF LINE TWIST AS THE RATE OF SPIN INCREASED. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 15 SECONDS THE JUMPER CUT AWAY FROM THE MALFUNCTIONING MAIN AND ATTEMPTED TO GET A STABLE BODY POSITION. OBSERVERS STATED THAT THEY SAW WHITE MATERIAL (RESERVE CANOPY) EMERGE JUST BEFORE THE JUMPER IMPACTED THE EARTH AND A DUST CLOUD WAS SEEN.

OBSERVERS WHO WERE JUMPING NEAR THE SPINNING CANOPY LANDED NEAR THE JUMPER TO PROVIDE FIRST AID BUT DETERMINED SHE WAS DECEASED.

THE JUMPER HAD JUST OVER 1350 JUMPS AND WAS WEARING THE FOLLOWING EQUIPMENT:

HARNESS & CONTAINER: MICRO

MAIN CANOPY:  PERFORMANCE DESIGN SABRE II  (135 SQ FT CANOPY)

RESERVE CANOPY:  PARATEC SPEED  (135 SQ FT CANOPY)

AAD EQUIPMENT: CYPRES C2 EXPERT  (MANUFACTURED 1/2011, 4 YEAR MAINTENANCE DUE 1/2015)

THE JUMPER WAS WEARING AN AUTOMATIC OPENING DEVISE (CYPRES) WHICH WAS LATER ANALYZED BY THE MANUFACTURER. THE ALTITUDE AND AIRSPEED READ-OUTS FOR THE LAST JUMP WERE RETRIEVED FROM THE UNIT. READINGS FROM THE UNIT CORRELATE WITH THE WITNESS STATEMENTS:

THE GRAPH OF ACTIVATION STARTS AT AN ALTITUDE OF APROX 3150 FT AGL. VERTICAL SPEED DOWN TO ALTITUDE OF APROX 2100 FT AGL REGISTERED AT 127 MPH. FROM 2100 FT AGL TO 1770 FT AGL A DECREASE IN SPEED REACHING VALUE OF APROX 22 MPH AND BELOW. FROM 1770 FT AGL DOWN TO APROX 620 FT AGL FOR DURATION OF APROX 14.5 SECONDS THE VERTICAL SPEED AVERAGED 53 MPH. THE VERTICAL SPEED THEN SLOWLY INCREASED TO VALUES ABOVE 78 MPH. THE UNIT ACTIVATED AT APROX 390 FT AGL DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE VERTICAL SPEED WAS ABOVE THE ACTIVATION CRITERIA OF AND "EXPERT" CYPRES WHICH IS SET AT 78 MPH.

## Other reports on N204BD (4)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 20260321003969I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260321003969I), Mar 21, 2026: Dehavilland DHC-6-200 (N204BD), Eloy, AZ, No damage, 1 fatal. On March 21, 2026, between approximately 1255 and 1303 MST (1955Z–2003Z), a parachutist employed by [privacy data omitted] was conducting video recording…
- [Incident 20250502004559I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250502004559I), May 2, 2025: Dehavilland DHC-6-200 (N204BD), Eloy, AZ, No damage, 1 fatal. On may 2, 2025, at approximately 11:00 am MST, a parachute jumper at Eloy airport (E60) in Eloy, Arizona, sustained fatal injuries after failing to deploy his…
- [Incident 20150523011959I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20150523011959I), May 23, 2015: Dehavilland DHC-6-200 (N204BD), Eloy, AZ, No damage, 1 fatal. Skydiver was participating in a 16 man formation jump which was practice for a larger 100 way attempt. The exit from the aircraft and formation portion of the…
- [Incident 20050216005289I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050216005289I), Feb 16, 2005: Dhav DHC6200 (N204BD), Eloy, AZ, 1 fatal. (-23) Multiple skydivers left aircraft and were farther away from landing area than were able to travel back under canopy to land. One of the other skydivers…

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.

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