De Havilland DHC-6-6 N1022S

Summary

On 8 November 1997 at about 19:15 local time, a De Havilland DHC-6-6 registered N1022S, operated by Emerald Coast Skydiving Center, was involved in an accident near Elberta, Alabama, United States. 18 people were on board. One person on the ground also died. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 November 1997 at 19:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Elberta, Alabama, United States

Nearest airport

Horak (7J9)

Coordinates

30.4090, -87.5993

Aircraft

De Havilland DHC-6-6

Registration

N1022S

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Emerald Coast Skydiving Center

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Skydiving

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA98LA031

Injuries not recorded.

a passenger's inadvertent encounter with a rotating propeller.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the loading of 17 parachutists, a 31-year-old male parachutist notified the loader/jump master that on his next jump he would have a smoke canister on the airplane and that the pilot should be notified. The loader/jump master told him, '...that to notify the pilot would be his (the loader's) job, that he [the parachutist] was just to board the aircraft.' The loader started boarding the jumpers and he went forward to give the pilot the information. The loader/jump master said, '...disregarding [his] the loaders instructions the subject walked from the rear left area and proceeded straight to the cockpit door where the loader and pilot were. In spite of several people hollering at him the subject walked into the left side engine propeller....'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.