Cessna 182A N5172D

Summary

On 14 June 2014 at about 19:00 local time, a Cessna 182A registered N5172D, operated by Fly Free Skydiving, was involved in an accident near Valmeyer, Illinois, United States. 5 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 June 2014 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Valmeyer, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Festus Memorial (FES)

Coordinates

38.2531, -90.3183

Aircraft

Cessna 182A

Registration

N5172D

Category

Airplane

Year built

1958

Engines

1

Operator

Fly Free Skydiving

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Skydiving

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Festus → Festus

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14CA289

Nobody was injured.

The inadvertent deployment of the skydiver's drogue chute when he exited the airplane, resulting in it contacting and damaging the horizontal stabilizer.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot's report, he leveled the airplane about 11,000 feet and established a speed of 80 mph with 10 degrees of flaps extended. When the last skydiver exited the airplane, its nose pitched up. The pilot pushed forwarded on the control wheel and added full engine power. He experienced "difficulties" in pushing the control wheel forward and thought a parachute caused the control issue. The pilot subsequently used full nose down trim to assist his control of the airplane. A witness in a chase airplane confirmed the bent right horizontal stabilizer. The pilot assessed the deteriorating flight control situation. He decided to jump out of the airplane over farmland and use his emergency parachute there. The pilot observed the accident airplane spiral down as he descended under his parachute. A skydiver reported there were no mechanical malfunctions up to the time he exited and the last skydiver confirmed that his reserve canopy had deployed prematurely as he was leaving the step. The pilot reported no other mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.