- Date
- December 15, 1990, 13:36 local (21:36 UTC)
- Place
- Snohomish, WA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 minor, 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N833QBeech D50C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 2, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901215054349A
- Case key
- 41375
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The obstruction (protruding door support bracket) in the doorway of the aircraft; failure of the company/operator personnel, the pilot, and the skydivers to assure that the doorway was clear of obstructions; and subsequent snagging of the d-ring, which resulted in inadvertent deployment of the passenger's (skydiver's) reserve parachute.
Analysis
During a skydiving operation, the aircraft was slowed to slow cruise flight for a parachute jump. As skydivers were moving to the exit door for a group jump, the d-ring of one skydiver's reserve parachute became entangled on a protruding cabin door support bracket. The reserve chute deployed & was caught in the slip stream. The skydiver was then pulled from the open door. He impacted the right horizontal stabilizer, fell 4000 ft to the ground & was fatally injured. Most of the right stabilizer was torn from the aircraft. After its separation, the aircraft entered a dive & the remaining skydivers jumped from the plane. One of the other skydivers was in the doorway when the accident sequence began. He held onto the aircraft for a moment as it shuddered & started to dive, then 'let go.' During the occurrence, he received a minor injury. The pilot regained control of the aircraft & made an emergency landing at an airport with a long runway.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N833Q
- Reported as
- Beech D50C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- DH-290
- Engine
- Lycoming GO-480-G2D6, 295 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Skydiving · Part 91
- Operator
- Snohomish Parachute Ctr
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- S43 · Snohomish, WA
- Airport
- NONE
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
- 31
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,104 total · 110 in this make and model · 2,021 as pilot in command · 114 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PAE, 6 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.
Other investigations on N833Q · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.