- Date
- February 1, 2025, 09:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Daggett, CA
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 6 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N466TMLockheed C-130A
- Defining event
- Enroute: Inflight upset
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250201003789A
- Case key
- 199680
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
An inflight upset due to an improperly secured load that resulted in serious injuries.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The operator reported that while conducting a high-altitude airdrop test, the 25,000lb airdrop package prematurely released while the airplane was maneuvering. The airdrop package extraction parachute did not deploy, and the package exited the rear of the airplane slowly, resulting in an excessive pitch-up and right yaw of the airplane. After the airdrop package exited the cargo door, the airplane pitched down violently, resulting in serious injuries to two crew members located in the cargo compartment. The aircraft returned to the airport without further incident. A post accident inspection revealed no aircraft damage and that the cargo locks were set improperly during loading. The operator reported that the airplane had no pre accident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N466TM
- Reported as
- Lockheed C-130A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 57-466
- Built
- 1957
- Airframe hours
- 18,860.4
- Engines
- Allison T-56A-9, 3,750 horsepower, turbo propAllison T-56A-9, 3,750 horsepower, turbo propAllison T-56A-9, 3,750 horsepower, turbo propAllison T-56A-9, 3,750 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Air drop · Part 91
- Operator
- Tbm Inc, doing business as Tbm Inc
- Registered owner
- T B M Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 28, 2025 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- KBLH · Blythe, CA
- Destination
- KBLH · Blythe, CA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, Electronic primary flight display
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 · 3
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 58
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 8, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 8,000 total · 7,000 in this make and model · 6,500 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 38
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Military
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 31, 2023
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,464 total · 32 in this make and model · 533 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Flight engineer
- Certificate
- Flight engineer
- Seat
- Center
- Restraint
- 4-point
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.14 inHg
- Observed at
- KDAG, 5 nm away
- METAR
- KDAG 011750Z AUTO 17003KT 10SM CLR 15/M01 A3014 RMK AO2 SLP197 T01501006 10150 20078 50010=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 22, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 14.7 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.