Cessna 182D N8775X

Summary

On 17 May 2013 at about 19:30 local time, a Cessna 182D registered N8775X, operated by 516-Skydive, was involved in an accident near East Moriches, New York, 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

17 May 2013 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

East Moriches, New York, United States

Nearest airport

Lufker Airport (49N)

Coordinates

40.8247, -72.7508

Aircraft

Cessna 182D

Registration

N8775X

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

516-Skydive

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Skydiving

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

East Moriches → East Moriches

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA13CA247

Nobody was injured.

The inadvertent deployment of the skydiving instructor'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

**This report was modified on 1/8/1014. Please see the public docket for this accident to view the original report.** According to the pilot, he leveled the airplane at 8,500 feet for a tandem skydive. When the instructor exited the airplane, the nose pitched up, then the airplane pitched over into a right, descending turn. The pilot assessed the situation and determined that the right horizontal stabilizer was bent. He later determined that the instructor's drogue chute became trapped under the flap handle, resulting in a premature deployment of the parachute. The drogue chute then caught the horizontal stabilizer, resulting in a 45-degree downward bend. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.