What happened
During a local skydiving operation departing from Cecina Airfield, an aircraft operated by Skydive Kalifornia experienced a catastrophic in-flight event. The flight was carrying seven skydivers at the time of the incident. Upon reaching the designated jump altitude, the first six participants successfully exited the aircraft.
As the final skydiver prepared to depart, his auxiliary parachute deployed prematurely while he was still inside the cabin. The force of the deployment pulled the individual out of the aircraft. During this process, the skydiver struck the right horizontal stabilizer, causing the component to detach from the airframe. Following the loss of the stabilizer, the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and struck a field.
Findings
- The impact of the crash resulted in the destruction of the aircraft.
- The accident resulted in two fatalities, involving both pilots on board.
- All seven skydivers survived the incident without injury.
- The primary cause of the structural failure was the premature deployment of a parachute inside the cabin.