- Date
- August 22, 2006, 12:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Lodi, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 13 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N205TCBeech 99
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 28, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20060822018739A
- Case key
- 64476
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
the failure of the skydiver to correctly follow procedures and directives on exiting the airplane properly, which resulted in his collision with the horizontal stabilizer.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
A skydiver jumped up and out of the airplane instead of dropping out of the exit and keeping a low trajectory. He then impacted the horizontal stabilizer and fell away from the leading edge. The skydiver's automatic deployment system activated and opened the parachute. The skydiver was warned by other skydivers the day before when he exited in a similar manner. In addition, he was instructed to stay low and not to jump up just prior to exiting the airplane.
Factual narrative
On August 22, 2006, at 1200 Pacific daylight time, a Beech 99 airplane, N205TC, was substantially damaged when a skydiver impacted the horizontal stabilizer during a skydiving jump near Lodi, California. The pilot and 12 other skydivers were not injured; the skydiver that impacted the horizontal stabilizer sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated by Parachute Center. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 skydiving flight. The local flight originated from the Lodi Airport at an unknown time.
According to statements from the operator and three other skydivers, the skydiver jumped up when he exited the airplane exposing himself to the propeller blast, which drove him aft to the horizontal stabilizer. He hit the horizontal stabilizer and then fell from the leading edge. The skydiver was equipped with an emergency parachute deployment system, which opened his canopy.
According to the statements provided by the other skydivers, the accident skydiver jumped up in a similar manner the day before the accident flight. He was warned not to jump up when he exited the airplane as he barely missed the horizontal stabilizer the day before. In addition, the skydivers were instructed to stay low and not to jump out of the door just moments before the accident skydiver jumped out.
The skydiver had accumulated about 200 jumps, most of which were out of the accident airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N205TC
- Reported as
- Beech 99
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- U5
- Airframe hours
- 31,485
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-28, 500 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Skydiving · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Flanagon Enterprises, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · August 1, 2006 · 28 hours before
- Departed
- Lodi, CA
- Airport
- 1O3 · Lodi Linds
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 63
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 1, 2006
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,500 total · 200 in this make and model · 100 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.