What happened
On July 20, 2024, at approximately 11:40 EDT, a Cessna 208B, registration N1259K, crashed near Youngstown, New York, during a skydiving operation. The aircraft was being operated by Skydive the Falls under Part 91 regulations during the annual Skydive the Falls Fest Boogie at Windsor Airport (63NY).
The pilot had successfully completed five flights earlier that morning. During the sixth flight, the parachutists exited the aircraft without incident. At 11:35, the pilot notified Buffalo Approach West Radar control that the flight was two minutes away from the jump. However, by 11:40, air traffic controllers were unable to establish contact with the aircraft when attempting to terminate radar services.
Video footage from the jump showed that after the skydivers departed, the airplane pitched into a dive and rolled right along its vertical axis. Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft descending rapidly and straight down, with one wing pointed toward the ground and the other toward the sky. At 11:44, another aircraft in the area spotted smoke on the ground approximately two to three miles west of the jump zone.
Radar track data indicated the aircraft departed runway 36 at 63NY, climbed to 12,000 feet MSL, and performed a jump pass. The track ended at 11:39:20 at an altitude of 10,332 feet, traveling at 72 knots with a heading of 267 degrees.
The aircraft impacted a grassy slope near the Niagara Scenic Parkway in a left-wing, nose-low, and near-inverted attitude. The impact and subsequent fire destroyed much of the fuselage, instrument panel, and portions of the right wing and left flap.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage and found that the turbine section had fractured and separated from the engine. Multiple turbine blades were bent opposite the direction of rotation, with some blades flattened against the shaft. The three propeller blades had separated from the hub; one blade was found 130 feet from the main wreckage, while the other two were located in the impact crater. All three blades showed leading-edge erosion.
Regarding the flight controls, the condition of the wreckage prevented the establishment of full cable continuity, though one loose cable showed signs of tensile overload. The elevator and trim tab cables remained attached to the bellcrank. Examination of the elevator trim actuators showed the left outboard assembly was bent upward, while the right assemblies were bent outboard, with one pushrod having fractured.