# Incident 20160604008569I: Dehavilland DHC-6 TWIN OTTER, Chester, SC, June 4, 2016

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 4, 2016, 19:15 local time
- Place: Chester, SC
- Airport: Chester Catawba Regional
- Damage: No damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: Parachute jumping (Part 105)
- Location: 34.7893° N, 81.1958° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at CHESTER CATAWBA RGNL (DCM), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.7893&lon=-81.1958&mi=10
- Aircraft: N901BS, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N901BS) (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: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 10,200 total, 6,000 in this make and model, 200 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20160604008569I

## Narrative

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

AT APPROXIMATELY 7:10 PM TWO WINGSUIT JUMPERS EXITED N901BS FROM 13,500 FEET. DURING THE DIVE THE HIGHER JUMPER COLLIDED WITH THE LOWER JUMPER. THE HIGHER JUMPER STRUCK THE LOWER JUMPER HEAD FIRST INTO THE LOWER JUMPERS RIGHT LEG BREAKING THE LEG IN 6 PIECES.

IT IS MY OPINION THAT THE INITIAL IMPACT INSTANTLY KILLED THE HIGHER JUMPER. IN EITHER CASE THE HIT WAS HARD ENOUGH TO KNOCK THE JUMPER UNCONSCIOUS AND HE FELL TO THE GROUND WITHOUT DEPLOYING EITHER THE MAIN OR THE RESERVE PARACHUTE.

THE LOWER JUMPER LANDED AT THE AIRPORT WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AT THAT TIME 911 WAS CALLED AND A SEARCH FOR THE MISSING JUMPER WAS INITIATED. THAT SEARCH WAS CALLED OFF AROUND 9 PM DUE TO DARKNESS AND HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS. THE SEARCH RESUMED AT 7 AM AND AT APPROXIMATELY 9:20 AM THE BODY OF THE HIGHER JUMPER WAS FOUND AND RECOVERED.

RYAN LEVESQUE

OPERATIONS MANAGER

SKYDIVE CAROLINA

803-581-5867

WWW.SKYDIVECAROLINA.COM

TO FAA:

A PLANNED TWO WAY WING SUIT JUMP DOING ADVANCED WING SUIT MANEUVERS IN FREEFALL.

EVERYTHING WAS GOING ACCORDING TO PLAN. AT SOME POINT APPROXIMATELY 20SECONDS AFTER EXIT FROM 13,500FT, DURING THE MANEUVERS THEY HAD A HARD MID-AIR COLLISION. BREAKING THE ONE JUMPERS TIBIA AND FIBULA ON THE RIGHT LEG. AT THAT POINT, IN MY PROFESSIONAL OPINION, THE DECEASED WAS KNOCK UNCONSCIOUS OR INCAPACITATED TO THE POINT OF NOT BEING ABLE TO MANUALLY DEPLOY HIS MAIN OR RESERVE PARACHUTE. THE MID-AIR COLLISION WITH THE OTHER JUMPER COULD POSSIBLY KILLED HIM. THE DECEASED CONTINUED IN FREEFALL UNTIL IMPACT WITH NO PARACHUTE OUT OR DEPLOYED.

JOEY FREEMAN

USPA SAFETY AND TRAINING ADVISOR

USPA INSTRUCTOR EXAMINER

828-275-0016

^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ VERBAL STATEMENT:

AT APPROXIMATELY 7:00 PM ON 06/04/2016, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND MR. SPRINGER (DECEASED) PLANNED AND EXECUTED A TWO WAY WING SUIT JUMP. NOT LONG AFTER EXITING THE AIRCRAFT AT 13,500 FEET, THE TWO SKYDIVERS COLLIDED, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STRIKING ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ IN THE RIGHT LEG. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^DEPLOYED HIS PARACHUTE AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS UNAWARE OF ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ SITUATION UNTIL HE WAS INFORMED LATER THAT EVENING.

## Other reports on N901BS (1)

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

- [Incident 20151008018119I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20151008018119I), Oct 8, 2015: Dehavilland DHC-6 TWIN OTTER (N901BS), Raeford, NC, Substantial damage. I was flying the last load of the day and decided to do a low pass across our swoop pond. They have multiple buoys in the pond and my right wing got too low…

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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