Cessna 182A N6324B

Summary

On 10 October 2011 at about 13:45 local time, a Cessna 182A registered N6324B, operated by Skydive Maple Grove Inc, was involved in an accident near Warrenton, Virginia, United States. One person was 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

10 October 2011 at 13:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Warrenton, Virginia, United States

Coordinates

38.5853, -77.7064

Aircraft

Cessna 182A

Registration

N6324B

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Skydive Maple Grove Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Skydiving

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Warrenton → Warrenton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12CA024

Nobody was injured.

The pilot did not ensure that the forward door latch was secured prior to initiating the descent.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he was descending the airplane from an altitude of 8,000 feet after releasing skydivers. During the descent, at an altitude of about 3,000 feet, the airplane's door opened and contacted the underside of the wing. The pilot slowed the airplane and attempted to close the door but noticed that the door had warped and that the window was missing. A postflight examination of the airplane revealed that the window had separated from the door in flight and contacted the right horizontal stabilizer, resulting in substantial damage. The door had been modified with a top hinge for skydiving operations and was closed by means of two pin-type latches that were inserted into holes located on both the forward and aft sides of the door frame. The aft pin hole was torn, indicative of its latch pin having been inserted at the time of the door opening; however, the forward pin hole exhibited no damage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.