Fentress - Fentress

The pilot reported that he was landing in gusty crosswind conditions following a parachute jump flight, and that the gusty conditions had persisted for the previous 10 skydiving flights that day. The pilot further reported that during the landing roll, when the nose wheel touched down, the airplane became "unstable" and veered to the left. He reported that he applied right rudder and added power to abort the landing, but the airplane departed the runway to the left and the left wing impacted a tree. The airplane spun 180 degrees to the left and came to rest after the impact with the tree. The left wing was substantially damaged. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Flight / Schedule

Fentress - Fentress

Registration

N122PM

MSN

15

Year of Manufacture

1966

Date

April 9, 2016 at 05:00 PM

Type

CRASH

Flight Type

Skydiving / Paratroopers

Flight Phase

Landing (descent or approach)

Crash Site

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Crash Location

Fentress Texas

Region

North America • United States of America

Coordinates

29.7559°, -97.7768°

Crash Cause

Human factor

Narrative Report

On April 9, 2016 at 05:00 PM, Fentress - Fentress experienced a crash involving De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter, operated by Skydive San Marcos, with the event recorded near Fentress Texas.

The flight was categorized as skydiving / paratroopers and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.

2 people were known to be on board, 0 fatalities were recorded, 2 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 0.0%.

Crew on board: 2, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. The pilot reported that he was landing in gusty crosswind conditions following a parachute jump flight, and that the gusty conditions had persisted for the previous 10 skydiving flights that day. The pilot further reported that during the landing roll, when the nose wheel touched down, the airplane became "unstable" and veered to the left. He reported that he applied right rudder and added power to abort the landing, but the airplane departed the runway to the left and the left wing impacted a tree. The airplane spun 180 degrees to the left and came to rest after the impact with the tree. The left wing was substantially damaged. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Aircraft reference details include registration N122PM, MSN 15, year of manufacture 1966.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 29.7559°, -97.7768°.

Fatalities

Total

0

Crew

0

Passengers

0

Other

0

Crash Summary

The pilot reported that he was landing in gusty crosswind conditions following a parachute jump flight, and that the gusty conditions had persisted for the previous 10 skydiving flights that day. The pilot further reported that during the landing roll, when the nose wheel touched down, the airplane became "unstable" and veered to the left. He reported that he applied right rudder and added power to abort the landing, but the airplane departed the runway to the left and the left wing impacted a tree. The airplane spun 180 degrees to the left and came to rest after the impact with the tree. The left wing was substantially damaged. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Cause: Human factor

Occupants & Outcome

Crew On Board

2

Passengers On Board

0

Estimated Survivors

2

Fatality Rate

0.0%

Known people on board: 2

Operational Details

Schedule / Flight

Fentress - Fentress

Flight Type

Skydiving / Paratroopers

Flight Phase

Landing (descent or approach)

Crash Site

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Region / Country

North America • United States of America

Aircraft Details

Registration

N122PM

MSN

15

Year of Manufacture

1966