Accident Cessna 208 Caravan I N208KM,

ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 319997

Date:	Friday 14 October 2016
Time:	17:35
Type:	Cessna 208 Caravan I
Owner/operator:	National Parachute Test Center - NPTC
Registration:	N208KM
MSN:	20800150
Year of manufacture:	1989
Total airframe hrs:	11336 hours
Engine model:	Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 11
Aircraft damage:	Substantial, repaired
Category:	Accident
Location:	Dunnellon/Marion County Airport, FL - United States of America
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Parachuting
Departure airport:	Dunnellon/Marion County Airport, FL
Destination airport:	Dunnellon/Marion County Airport, FL
Investigating agency:	NTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
A Cessna 208, N208KM, was substantially damaged during a skydiving event over Marion County Airport (X35), Dunnellon, Florida. One of the 10 skydivers on board was fatally injured, and the commercial pilot and the other 9 skydivers were not injured. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by the National Parachute Test Center.
The flight departed and climbed to an altitude of 1,250 ft above ground level. The first three skydivers exited the airplane uneventfully, and the fourth moved into position. The training advisor observed that the fourth skydiver seemed to hesitate, and the jumpmaster leaned forward toward him. As the fourth jumper exited the airplane, the training advisor noticed a flash of white and watched as the jumpmaster's reserve parachute deployed and entered the airplane's slipstream. The jumpmaster attempted to pull the parachute back into the airplane and was pulled into the door frame before being dragged out of the airplane. Observers on the ground watched as the jumpmaster descended beneath his streaming (unopened) reserve parachute to the ground. The ground observers reported that the jumpmaster made no movements, appeared to be unconscious, and did not deploy his main parachute. The pilot reported that he was able to maintain control of the airplane and land without further incident.
Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the cargo door frame and fuselage were buckled.

PROBABLE CAUSE: The jumpmaster's failure to guard the reserve parachute ripcord, which caused an inadvertent
deployment of his reserve parachute.

Accident investigation: