- Date
- November 6, 1994, 14:09 local (22:09 UTC)
- Place
- San Diego, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 13 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N276VMBeech 65-90
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 13, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19941106037439A
- Case key
- 28979
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 inadvertent and premature deployment of the jumper's reserve parachute as he exited the aircraft.
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 was damaged when a sport parachutist collided with the horizontal stabilizer while exiting the aircraft at 13,000 feet MSL. According to statements from the pilots and other jumpers on board the aircraft, the injured jumper's reserve parachute deployed as he exited the door. The parachute momentarily draped over the left leading edge of the horizontal stabilizer, then as the canopy deployed, the jumper was pulled over the horizontal stabilizer.
Factual narrative
On November 6, 1994, at 1409 Pacific standard time, a Beech 65- 90, N276VM, was damaged when a sport parachutist collided with the horizontal stabilizer while exiting the aircraft at 13,000 feet msl near San Diego, California. The aircraft, owned and operated by Nuway, Inc., of Wilmington, Delaware, was engaged in parachute jump operations under contract to Air Adventures, San Diego, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft incurred substantial damage to the left horizontal stabilizer skin, spar, and stabilizer attach points. The jumper who collided with the aircraft sustained serious injuries; however, the 2 airline transport pilots and the remaining 11 parachutists on board were not injured. The flight originated at Brown Field, San Diego, California, at 1350 on the day of the accident.
According to statements from the pilots and other jumpers on board the aircraft, the injured jumper's reserve parachute deployed as he exited the door. The parachute momentarily draped over the left leading edge of the horizontal stabilizer, then as the canopy deployed, the jumper was pulled over the horizontal.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N276VM
- Reported as
- Beech 65-90
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- LJ-81
- Airframe hours
- 7,819
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-20, 500 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Jeffrey L. Obering, doing business as Nuway, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Nuway, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · September 27, 1994 · 33 hours before
- Departed
- SDM
- Destination
- SDM · CA
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
- 32
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,232 total · 510 in this make and model · 2,141 as pilot in command · 174 in the last 90 days · 54 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N276VM · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.