Incident Overview
The aircraft departed Fort Bragg-Simmons Army Airfield on a training mission with 14 people on board: 11 members of the U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights, two pilots, and a crew chief. Approximately one hour into the flight, while cruising in poor weather conditions, the airplane lost control and crashed into an open field. All occupants died in the crash.
Investigation Findings
Official investigators determined that the accident was caused by the aircraft being overloaded. The overloading resulted from the installation of a heavy metal plating floor during a prior deployment in Vietnam, which was not recorded in the aircraft's logbook. This unaccounted weight caused the aircraft to exceed its permissible load limits, leading to loss of control in flight.
Aftermath
No additional details regarding the aircraft type, registration, or flight timeline have been released. The incident remains a significant loss for the Golden Knights team and the Army aviation community.