Introduction
On 23 June 1998, a Cessna U206G, registered HB-CQE, crashed approximately 100 metres northeast of the runway at Bad Ragaz airfield, Switzerland. The aircraft was operated by Eichenberger Aviation AG of Buttwil, Switzerland. The pilot, a Swiss citizen born in 1947, held a commercial pilot license and had accumulated about 2990 total flight hours, with some 1500 hours on the accident type. The flight was a positioning flight from Italy to Switzerland, during which six skydivers were conducting a "Tour de Suisse" series of jumps.
Flight Details
The aircraft departed Italy for maintenance in Switzerland, carrying six experienced skydivers. Earlier that day, jumps had been completed at several locations without incident. The final jump was planned for Bad Ragaz. At about 1915 local time (UTC+2), the aircraft approached Bad Ragaz from the southeast at an altitude of approximately 4000 metres above sea level.
Incident Sequence
In preparation for a formation jump, skydiver 1 climbed onto the right landing gear, while skydivers 2, 3, and 4 positioned themselves at the door, and skydivers 5 and 6 remained inside the cabin. As skydiver 4 moved into position, skydiver 1 turned toward the tail as planned. He then observed skydiver 2's main parachute beginning to deploy, which draped over the right horizontal stabilizer and pulled skydiver 2 out of the door opening. Skydiver 2 collided with the leading edge of the right stabilizer about 30 centimetres from its outer end, sustaining minor injuries to his neck and shoulder. The collision severed the right stabilizer from the fuselage. The aircraft then pitched violently left and down, causing skydiver 3 to be momentarily trapped despite releasing his grip. Skydiver 1, now 10–20 metres above the aircraft in free fall, saw the remaining tail parts oscillate and then detach completely. The aircraft entered a steep, uncontrolled right turn. Skydiver 6 attempted to rescue the pilot, who was not wearing a parachute, but the pilot did not respond. Skydiver 5 exited during the uncontrolled movements, and skydiver 4 was pulled out, sustaining minor injuries. About two minutes later, the aircraft impacted the ground and caught fire.
Findings
The pilot held a valid license and had extensive experience; however, his personal flight records were destroyed. No evidence of medical impairment was found. The aircraft was properly maintained, with its last 50-hour inspection on 4 June 1998 at 4624 hours. The takeoff weight was 3600 lbs, near the upper limit, and the centre of gravity was near the aft limit. The skydiver who collided with the stabilizer used a Javelin parachute system with a hand-deploy pilot chute. The Swiss parachute sport federation examined the equipment and found it in good condition but noted that a partially deployed pilot chute could cause premature main parachute opening, especially if the jumper did not check it before assuming the exit position. All skydivers were experienced and had packed their own gear. The weather was light northeast wind with few clouds; weather was not a factor.
Cause
The accident was attributed to loss of control of the aircraft due to damage to the tailplane caused by the premature, unintentional opening of the parachute in the ready position of a jumper.