# Incident 20210925022059I: Dehavilland DHC-6 TWIN OTTER, Chester, SC, September 25, 2021 - Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: September 25, 2021, 13:00 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: N190KM, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N190KM) (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: 0 - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20210925022059I ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. EON-DRA MESSAGE TEXT: CHESTER, SC (DCM): A SKYDIVER RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES AFTER LEAVING N190KN, DHC6. THE PARACHUTE FAILED TO FULLY DEPLOY AND THE SKYDIVER IMPACTED THE GROUND OFF THE DROP ZONE. 09/25/2021 1700Z PRESS RELEASE: CHESTER, SC - ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH AT APPROXIMATELY 12:30PM EST, A HIGHLY EXPERIENCED SKYDIVER, AGED 73, WITH MORE THAN 17,000 SKYDIVES WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD FOLLOWING WHAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED AN UNEVENTFUL SKYDIVE. ONSITE OBSERVERS NOTICED NOTHING UNUSUAL ABOUT THE FREE FALL AND THE SKYDIVER DEPLOYED THEIR PARACHUTE WITHOUT INCIDENT. ONCE THE PARACHUTE WAS DEPLOYED WITNESSES DIDN?T NOTICE ANYTHING UNUSUAL ABOUT THE PARACHUTE?S PERFORMANCE THAT WOULD INDICATE ANY ABNORMALITY OR MALFUNCTION. OBSERVERS NOTICED THE SKYDIVER LANDED OUTSIDE OF THE NORMAL LANDING AREA PROMPTING PERSONNEL TO CHECK ON THE JUMPER. UPON ARRIVING AT THE JUMPER?S LANDING POSITION, THE INDIVIDUAL APPEARED TO BE DECEASED. THE NAME OF THE DECEASED HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED AS FAMILY MEMBERS ARE BEING CONTACTED AT THIS TIME. THE DECEASED IS A HIGHLY EXPERIENCED SKYDIVER WITH DECADES OF EXPERIENCE TO THEIR CREDIT AND A WELL RESPECTED MEMBER OF THE SKYDIVING COMMUNITY. SKYDIVE CAROLINA?S PERSONNEL AND COMMUNITY ARE SADDENED BY THE SUDDEN LOSS OF A RESPECTED MEMBER OF OUR COMMUNITY. WITNESS STATEMENT: ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, 72, WAS SEEN UNDER A FULLY FUNCTIONING MAIN CANOPY FOLLOWING A 3 WAY FORMATION SKYDIVE. MULTIPLE WITNESSES REPORT SEEING HIM UNRESPONSIVE IN HIS HARNESS. HE MADE NO HEADING CORRECTIONS WHILE OVERFLYING THE DROPZONE TO THE NORTHEAST.^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND I ARRIVED ON THE SCENE WITHIN MINUTES WHERE HE WAS FOUND LYING FACE DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION, WITH NO PULSE. HE HAD OBVIOUS HEAD TRAUMA. UPON INSPECTION OF HIS GEAR IT WAS NOTED THAT HIS TOGGLES HAD NOT BEEN RELEASED. TWO LICENSED SKYDIVERS WHO WERE ON THE JUMP WITH ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT NOTHING SEEMED OUT OF THE ORDINARY DURING THE FREEFALL PORTION OF THEIR SKYDIVE. THEY ALSO WITNESSED HIM TRACK AWAY WITHOUT ISSUE PRIOR TO DEPLOYMENT. AFTER REVIEWING ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ PERSONAL VIDEO, WE SAW THAT HIS CANOPY DEPLOYED SMOOTHLY WITHOUT ANY ISSUES. HE WAS SEEN GRABBING FOR HIS RISERS DURING DEPLOYMENT BEFORE GOING LIMP JUST MOMENTS LATER. AFTER THE IMPACT, HE CONTINUED TO BREATHE FOR ABOUT A MINUTE AND A HALF BEFORE SUCCUMBING TO HIS INJURIES. WE PRESUME THAT THIS FATALITY WAS A DIRECT RESULT OF A MEDICAL ISSUE THAT AROSE SHORTLY AFTER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ BEGAN HIS DEPLOYMENT SEQUENCE. ## Other reports on N190KM (3) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 20220924017149I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20220924017149I), Sep 24, 2022: Dehavilland DHC-6 TWIN OTTER (N190KM), Chester, SC, No damage, 1 fatal. Eon-dra message text: Chester, SC (dcm): [privacy data omitted], DHC6, skydiver sustained fatal injuries for unknown reasons. POB: 1, injuries: fatal, damage:… - [Incident 20200606011099I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200606011099I), Jun 6, 2020: Dehavilland DHC-6 TWIN OTTER (N190KM), Chester, SC, Minor damage, 1 fatal. While on approach under canopy, a skydiver on his first jump of an accelerated free fall course under shot his briefed landing zone by about 1000 feet. This… - [Incident 20180531006449I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180531006449I), May 31, 2018: Dehavilland DHC-6 TWIN OTTER (N190KM), Chester, SC, No damage, 1 fatal. Dpre assessment of incident & iic concurrence: On Sunday may 31, 2018, there was a skydiving fatality that occurred at approximately 1515 EST at the Chester… 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.