# Incident 20150523011959I: Dehavilland DHC-6-200, Eloy, AZ, May 23, 2015 - Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: May 23, 2015, 15:00 local time - Place: Eloy, AZ - Airport: Eloy Municipal - Damage: No damage - Phase of flight: Other, Specify - 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: 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/20150523011959I ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. 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 JUMP WAS VIDEOTAPED BY ANOTHER SKYDIVER ON THE LOAD. THE VIDEO SHOWS THE JUMPER WAS FULLY ALERT DURING THE FORMATION AND SUBSEQUENT BREAK OFF FOR DEPLOYMENT OF HIS PARACHUTE. AFTER BREAK OFF THE VIDEO WAS SHUT DOWN AND NO FURTHER RECORDING WAS MADE OF THE JUMP. WITNESSES ON THE GROUND AS WELL AS IN THE AIR STATED THEY SAW NO INDICATION OF A CANOPY DEPLOYMENT MADE BY THE JUMPER DURING THE DESCENT. ONE OBSERVER ON THE GROUND WATCHED THE JUMPER DESCEND TILL JUST ABOVE THE GROUND. THEY SAW NO VISUAL INDICATION OF THE JUMPER ATTEMPTING TO DEPLOY HIS PARACHUTE. WITNESSES WHO RESPONDED TO THE SITE STATED THE JUMPER HAD NOT SURVIVED THE IMPACT. WHEN POLICE ARRIVED AT THE SPOT WHERE THE JUMPER CONTACTED THE GROUND THEY OBSERVED THE MAIN PARACHUTE WITHIN ITS BAG, MAIN RISERS, AND PILOT CHUTE LAYING WITHIN A COUPLE FEET OF THE JUMPER. THE MAIN CANOPY WAS UNOPENED AND STILL STOWED IN ITS BAG. THEY ALSO FOUND A CUTAWAY HANDLE LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 200 FT FROM THE IMPACT SITE. WHEN REMOVING THE EQUIPMENT IT WAS NOTED THAT THE RESERVE PORTION OF THE CONTAINER WAS STILL CLOSED AND THE RESERVE HANDLE HAD NOT BEEN REMOVED FROM THE HARNESS POCKET. HISTORICAL INFO: THE JUMPER HAD OVER 17 YEARS IN THE SPORT AND OVER 4000 JUMPS EXPERIENCE. HE WAS AN ACTIVE JUMPER AND USED TO JUMPING ANYWHERE BETWEEN 5 TO 12 JUMPS IN ONE DAY. THE JUMP HE WAS PARTICIPATING IN WAS HIS 7TH JUMP OF THE DAY. THE EQUIPMENT HE WAS WEARING WAS HIS OWN EQUIPMENT WHICH HE HAD BEEN JUMPING FOR MANY YEARS. HE WAS OBSERVED BY HIS WIFE PACKING HIS MAIN CANOPY PRIOR TO THE LAST JUMP. INVESTIGATION OF THE JUMPER?S EQUIPMENT WAS CONDUCTED. THE EQUIPMENT INVOLVED IS IDENTIFIED AS FOLLOWS: HARNESS & CONTAINER: MIRAGE SYSTEMS MT, BUILT 3/2001 MAIN CANOPY: CROSSFIRE 109 (109 SQ FT CANOPY) RESERVE CANOPY: PERFORMANCE DESIGN PR-126 BUILT 11/2000. RESERVE PACKING CARD INDICATES RESERVE LAST PACKED FEB. 26, 2015. AAD EQUIPMENT: CYPRESS ORIGINALLY INSTALLED IN EQUIPMENT WAS NO LONGER INSTALLED. FINDINGS DURING THE EQUIPMENT INSPECTION CONCLUDED THE FOLLOWING: 1. THE CUT-AWAY HANDLE BEING LOCATED AWAY FROM THE BODY ALONG THE PREVIOUS FLIGHT PATH INDICATES A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO MAKE A "CUT AWAY" OF THE MAIN PARACHUTE FROM THE HARNESS. THIS COULD INDICATE THE JUMPER WAS AWARE THAT HE HAD SOME TYPE OF MALFUNCTION. 2. THE MAIN PARACHUTE CONTAINER CLOSING LOOP HAD BEEN CUT/SHEARED OFF JUST BELOW THE AREA WHERE THE PIN WOULD HAVE ENGAGED IN THE LOOP AND ABOVE THE CONTAINER GROMMETS. THE CLOSING PIN WAS SLIGHTLY BENT AND HAD MARKS WHICH CORRESPOND TO EXCESSIVE FORCE BEING APPLIED AGAINST THE CONTAINER CLOSING FLAP GROMMETS. THE TOP CLOSING FLAP GROMMET WAS DEFORMED AS WELL TO MATCH THE IMPRINT OF THE CLOSING PIN. THESE FINDINGS ARE INDICATORS THAT THE PIN HOLDING THE MAIN PARACHUTE IN THE HARNESS/CONTAINER WAS STILL ENGAGED (HOLDING THE CONTAINER CLOSED) AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. 3. THE MAIN PARACHUTE PILOT CHUTE HAD INDICATIONS THAT IT MAY HAVE BEEN IN A PARTIALLY COCKED CONDITION. THIS WOULD HAVE CAUSED THE PILOT CHUTE TO NOT PRODUCE OPTIMUM DRAG IF IT HAD BEEN IN THE AIRSTREAM. THERE WAS NO CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE THE PILOT CHUTE HAD BEEN DEPLOYED, BUT IF IT HAD BEEN IT EITHER DID NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT TIME TO INFLATE TO PULL THE MAIN CONTAINER CLOSING PIN, OR WAS NOT EFFECTIVE IN PULLING THE MAIN CONTAINER CLOSING PIN. 4. THE RESERVE RIPCORD HANDLE HAD NOT BEEN ACTIVATED, AND THE RESERVE PIN & SEAL WERE STILL IN PLACE. THIS INDICATES THE JUMPER DID NOT INITIATE DEPLOYMENT OF HIS RESERVE PARACHUTE. 5. THE HARNESS/CONTAINER ORIGINALLY HAD AN AAD INSTALLED. SOMETIME AFTER 2013 THIS EQUIPMENT WAS REMOVED, ACCORDING TO THE JUMPERS WIFE BECAUSE IT HAD ?TURNED INTO A PUMPKIN? (EXCEEDED ITS LIFE LIMIT). NO AUTOMATIC OPENING DEVICE WAS INSTALLED IN THE EQUIPMENT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. 6. THE EQUIPMENT WAS IN SERVICE ## 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 20140403006159I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140403006159I), Apr 3, 2014: Dehavilland DHC-6-200 (N204BD), Eloy, AZ, No damage, 1 fatal. 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… - [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. --- 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.