- Date
- May 4, 1985, 19:20 local (May 5, 1985, 02:20 UTC)
- Place
- Perris, CA
- Injuries
- 33 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N157UDouglas DC3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850504018759A
- Case key
- 24505
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
The aircraft's left engine caught fire during the takeoff roll. The pilot managed to stop the aircraft on the runway and all 31 skydivers and the two member crew evacuated without injury. The left engine propeller had lost one blade which was found several days later 3000 feet west of the wreckage. There was no evidence found to substantiate compliance with a mandatory airworthiness directive on the propeller blade.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N157U
- Reported as
- Douglas DC3
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4132
- Airframe hours
- 42,950
- Engine
- Wright R-1820-GC, 1,200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 125
- Operator
- Perris Valley Paracenter
- Registered owner
- Bennie E. Conatser
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- AAIP · March 1, 1985 · 60 hours before
- Airport
- L65 · Perris Valley, runway 15, 5,000 × 65 ft, asphalt
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,200 total · 800 in this make and model · 75 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RIV, 16 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.