AN S80 FLC ADMITS TO AN ALTDEV JUST PRIOR TO HEARING A THUMP ON THE ACFT IN THE VICINITY OF SKYDIVING ACTIVITY NEAR BYP; TX.
Synopsis
AN S80 FLC ADMITS TO AN ALTDEV JUST PRIOR TO HEARING A THUMP ON THE ACFT IN THE VICINITY OF SKYDIVING ACTIVITY NEAR BYP; TX.
Narrative
LOCATION: BYP. ON DSCNT TO DFW; WE WERE TOLD TO CROSS KARLA AT OR ABOVE 15000 FT; THEN CROSS LEMYN AT 11000 FT. FO WAS FLYING. AS WE WERE APCHING 15000 FT; A CARAVAN WAS CALLED OUT AS TFC. PARACHUTING WAS IN PROGRESS AND THIS WAS APPARENTLY THE JUMP ACFT. BOTH OF US FOUND THE TFC. AS I LOOKED BACK INSIDE; I OBSERVED US GOING BELOW 15000 FT. THE FO LEVELED THE ACFT AT 14600 FT. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; A THUMP WAS FELT. AT KARLA; THE DSCNT WAS CONTINUED TO 11000 FT. AT ABOUT THIS TIME; A FLT ATTENDANT STEPPED INTO THE COCKPIT TO TELL US THEY FELT A THUMP IN THE BACK OF THE ACFT. WE LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. I WROTE UP THE ACFT AS POSSIBLY HAVING A BIRD STRIKE; BUT HOPED THAT WE HAD NOT HIT A JUMPER. I CALLED DFW TRACON. THEY DIRECTED ME TO A SUPVR AT ZFW. CTLR CONFIRMED THAT ALL OF THE JUMPERS WERE ACCOUNTED FOR AND WOULD CALL OUR DISPATCH IF ANYTHING ELSE DEVELOPED. I HAD SET THE LEMYN XING ALT OF 11000 FT IN THE ALT SELECT WINDOW. AS WE WERE LEVELING AT 15000 FT; WE WERE DISTR BY THE TFC CALL AND LET THE ACFT SLIP BELOW 15000 FT. HAD I SET THE KARLA RESTR OF 15000 FT; WE COULD HAVE WORRIED ABOUT LEMYN AT 11000 FT LATER. TO THE BEST OF MY RECOLLECTION; THE ATIS MENTIONED PARACHUTING TO THE NW; BUT NOT ON THE BYP ARR.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.