- Date
- July 20, 1991, 12:35 local (16:35 UTC)
- Place
- Waynesville, OH
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9HWBeech B90
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910720029049A
- Case key
- 36967
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 shroud lines from the parachute cutting through the left horizontal stabilizer and deforming the left elevator after the jumper had an uncommanded deployment of his reserve parachute and was pulled from the airplane.
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
As the jumpmaster and student jumper backed into the door of the airplane in preparation for a tandem jump, he had a uncommanded deployment of his reserve parachute, that dragged them out the door. The jumpers went under the left horizontal stabilizer while the canopy went over the top. After a few seconds, the parachute shroud lines cut through the horizontal stabilizer and deformed the left elevator. The tandem jumpers fell free, cut away the damaged reserve parachute, and deployed the main canopy. The airplane landed without further damage. A witness saw the pilot chute for the reserve parachute deploy as the jumper backed into the door. He said the parachute was secure when he observed it a few seconds prior to the jump.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9HW
- Reported as
- Beech B90
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- LJ-459
- Airframe hours
- 5,610
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-28, 680 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- West Tennessee Skydivers
- Registered owner
- Fuller Rental And Leasing
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · June 29, 1991 · 28 hours before
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 12,782 total · 157 in this make and model · 150 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.