What happened
A local skydiving operation departed from Hokitika Airport in a Fletcher aircraft carrying five people, including one pilot and four skydivers. During the flight, an incident occurred involving the reserve parachute of one of the passengers. As this individual was exiting the cockpit, the ripcord of his reserve chute became snagged, causing the parachute to begin deploying prematurely.
The deployment of the parachute caused the passenger to be dragged toward the rear of the aircraft, where he struck the tailplane. This impact resulted in structural damage to the tail section, leading to a loss of control. The Fletcher subsequently entered a dive and struck the ground.
While the four skydivers were able to exit the descending aircraft using their parachutes, the pilot was unable to escape. The accident resulted in one fatality and one injury. The passenger involved in the initial snagging incident sustained a head injury that caused a brief loss of consciousness but managed to land safely.
Findings
- The accidental deployment of a reserve parachute during the exit phase of the flight led to structural damage to the aircraft's tailplane, causing the subsequent uncontrolled descent.