On November 6, 1994, a Beech 65-90 (registration N276VM) operated by Jeffrey L. Obering was involved in an aviation accident near San Diego, CA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: the inadvertent and premature deployment of the jumper's reserve parachute as he exited the aircraft. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
An aircraft was damaged when a sport parachutist collided with the horizontal stabilizer after his reserve parachute deployed during exit at 13,000 feet.
Incident
During a parachuting activity, an aircraft incurred damage when a sport parachutist collided with the horizontal stabilizer. The incident took place as the jumper was exiting the aircraft at an altitude of 13,000 feet above mean sea level. According to accounts provided by the pilots and other jumpers present on the aircraft, the jumper's reserve parachute deployed at the moment he left the aircraft door.
Sequence of Events
With the deployment of the reserve parachute, the canopy momentarily draped over the left leading edge of the horizontal stabilizer. As the canopy continued to inflate and fully deploy, the jumper was pulled across and over the horizontal stabilizer, causing the collision that damaged the aircraft. The parachutist involved was injured in this sequence.
Damage
The aircraft was damaged as a result of the collision.