Skydiving plane crash - Jacksonville, FL

[FracCapt]

One dead, one seriously injured, three minor injuries. The FAA site and the article show that the pilot was the fatality, but the word from skydivers that were there is that it was NOT the pilot, but a jumper that was sitting at the back of the aircraft. The pilot is reportedly in critical condition. Maybe a little too soon to be sure who is correct, though I tend to believe the skydivers since I know some of them.

Article: http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/103004/met_17060830.shtml

Video from a local news station: http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/player320.aspx?aid=32930&bw=

Copied from the FAA website:
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 2588X Make/Model: C206 Description: 206, P206, T206, TP206, U206, TU206, (T
Date: 10/30/2004 Time: 1612

Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Unknown

LOCATION
City: JACKSONVILLE State: FL Country: US

DESCRIPTION
ACFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES DURING A PARACHUTE JUMPING
ACTIVITY, THERE WERE SIX PERSONS ON BOARD, ONE WAS FATALLY INJURED, ONE WAS
SERIOUSLY INJURED, AND FOUR RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES, JACKSONVILLE, FL

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 1
# Crew: 1 Fat: 1 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 5 Fat: 0 Ser: 1 Min: 4 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:

WEATHER: VQQ 1550Z CALM 5BR SCT015 25/22 A3013



OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Unknown Operation: General Aviation

Departed: JACKSONVILLE, FL Dep Date: 10/30/2004 Dep. Time:
Destination: JACKSONVILLE, FL Flt Plan: VFR Wx Briefing: U
Last Radio Cont: 1554Z OVER HEG
Last Clearance: FREQ CHANGE APRD

FAA FSDO: ORLANDO, FL (SO15) Entry date: 11/01/2004

Edit: This DZ is owned and operated by the same people as Skydive Space Center in Titusville, and from what I am told, the people involved were from SSC.

BSBD

 

[FN FAL]

I'm to tired to check my facts and there were so many crashes last month I forget, but didn't they find out that the 80 year old pilot was not in possession of a valid medical? Seems to me that's what I saw on the news.

 

[FracCapt]

Hadn't heard that...I'll see what I can dig up on some of the skydiving sites.

 

[avbug]

This wasn't the escaped canopy was it?

 

[FN FAL]

Hadn't heard that...I'll see what I can dig up on some of the skydiving sites.

Sorry FracCapt, there were so many last month, I got em all mixed up. The one I was thinking of occured up north on the east coast...

One killed in skydiving plane crash






FREEDOM – A single-engine skydiving plane crashed shortly after takeoff Wednesday, killing a passenger and injuring three others, authorities said.

The Cessna 180 crashed about 5:30 p.m. in New Sewickley Township, about 20 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, after it took off from a grassy runway at Beaver Valley Skydivers Club. The plane's wings apparently hit the top of a tree, said township police Chief John Daley.

Nancy Elm, 47, a veteran skydiver from Bellevue, died in the crash, the Beaver County coroner's office said.

Emil Kindelberger, 80, who runs the club, was the pilot. He was listed in critical condition Thursday afternoon at UPMC-Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh.

Two other passengers – Tim McGraw, 50, of Chippewa, and Cecil Smith, 47, of Rochester – were longtime skydivers, said McGraw's mother, Kitty. Tim McGraw was listed in critical condition, and Smith was listed in fair condition Thursday afternoon at UPMC-Presbyterian.

The Federal Aviation Administration would be investigating, Daley said.

 

[FracCapt]

This wasn't the escaped canopy was it?

No. This one crashed immediately after takeoff. One death - reported by the Orlando FSDO and newspaper articles as the pilot, but it was NOT the pilot. The pilot is currently at Shands Hospital in Jacksonville in "stable" condition. The fatality was a tandem instructor.

Sorry FracCapt, there were so many last month, I got em all mixed up. The one I was thinking of occured up north on the east coast...

No problem...I'm getting many of them confused as well. This has been an absolutely horrible past month for aviation. I heard from an FAA friend of mine that there were over 30 fatal crashes in October throughout the US.

BSBD