Skydive airplane crashes into house in Gilbert Arizona

As first reported by ABC News - A pilot is being treated and four skydivers escaped uninjured after a small plane crashed into a Gilbert home Saturday night.

The crash happened around 7:30 p.m. Saturday night near Ray and Gilbert roads.

An FAA spokesperson says the Cessna 182 plane crashed in the neighborhood during parachute operations.

Gilbert police say the small plane was carrying skydivers for the annual Constitution Fair. 

The pilot is hospitalized with burns after landing half a mile away from where the plane went down, Gilbert fire officials said. Four skydivers ejected from the plane and landed safely.

According to officials, the pilot noticed flames on the wing before the plane went down. An FAA spokesperson said circumstances surrounding the crash are unclear at this time.

Two people inside the Gilbert home were able to get out unhurt after the plane crashed toward the back of the house.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

SkyDiverDriver.com

8 skydivers die after plane crash in Finland

One of the deadliest air disasters in Finland's history occurred this past Easter Sunday. A Comp Air 8 kit-built airplane, that was a few minutes away from dropping skydivers over Jamijarvi Finland, suffered "technical problems", according to one of the survivors. As stated to the interviewing police officers after being released from the hospital with minor injuries. 

The Comp Air 8 is an experimental kit-built airplane. It is a very rare, small, single engine, all composite, turbo prop aircraft exported from Florida. It was the only one of its kind operating in Finland.

The pilot and 2 skydivers were able to exit the airplane and survive as it spiraled to the ground. The remaining 8 skydivers could not, for unknown reasons, exit the airplane. They consisted of 2 women and 6 men, all from Finland. This story will be updated as more information is released.

The ATSB has concluded its on-site investigation of the skydiving airplane crash at Caboolture Airfield QLD Australia

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has concluded its on-site investigation concerning a Cessna 206 that crashed on Saturday March 22nd at Caboolture Airfield, Queensland Australia, with a pilot and 4 parachutists on board. Today they released this statement:

Updated: 26 March 2014

"The ATSB team completed its on-site investigation of the accident involving VH-FRT on 25 March 2014. The ATSB has retained several components for further examination. This includes the aircraft’s engine and related components, propeller, various flight control components, some cockpit instruments and parts of the pilot’s seat. The extent to which the ATSB’s examination of the aircraft and components will be able to identify any potential anomalies is limited due to the level of damage that was sustained.

The ATSB has conducted and is analysing a significant number of witness reports. It is also reviewing the aircraft’s maintenance records, operational records for recent flights, and pilot training records. The investigation will also include reviewing potentially-related occurrences to identify if there any common aspects.

A preliminary report is expected within about 30 days of the accident. Should any critical safety issues emerge in the course of the investigation, the ATSB will immediately bring those issues to the relevant authorities or organisations and publish them as required."

The only photograph that they have released is the one below that shows a small amount of debris and what appears to be a bent propeller in the background.

5 dead in skydiving airplane crash near Brisbane Australia

At approximately 11:30 am local eastern Australian time (Saturday morning) a Cessna 206 with skydivers onboard crashed soon after take off from Caboolture Field near Brisbane Australia. Witnesses said that the airplane veered sharply to the left soon after take off, hitting the ground and bursting into flames. All 5 people onboard died in the crash. It is not clear which skydiving company owned the airplane, there is more than one operating at this field.

Update: According to police the victims were 4 males and 1 female. A male pilot, 2 male skydiving instructors and 2 skydiving customers. The names have not been released yet. 

Bryan Carpenter of Aerodynamic Flight Academy told reporters that, "The Cessna 206 lurched sharply to its left at an altitude of 100 to 200 feet." It is not known what caused the crash. However, according to Mr. Carpenter, "...the engine was delivering power on touch down."

When Blades Creep

This is a story that I posted on my other blog Caravan Pilots a couple days ago. Considering that this was a jump plane, I figured that it should be posted here as well.

What happened to the Caravan pictured below?  

Turbine Blade Creep - the movement of a turbine blade from its normal alignment, causing it to strike the casing.  Caused by stress from high temperatures and high centrifugal forces.

When Blades Creep!  It sounds like the title of some horror movie doesn't it?  Well, if you don't know what it is... it just might become the title of your very own horrific day.  Read on and study more.

On June 1st, 2008 Grand Caravan N102VE operated by Skydive Greensburg in Indiana experienced a total loss of engine power.  On its second load of the day, it was climbing through 7,000 feet MSL with 14 skydivers on board when there was a CT (compressor  turbine) failure caused by blade creep.  The pilot reported hearing a loud explosion followed by a metal grinding noise coming from the engine.  The aircraft began to vibrate and then smoke filled the cabin when the pilot began emergency shutdown procedures.

He leveled off at 5,000 feet so that the skydivers could exit, which they all did.  He attempted a forced landing at the airport, however he was too high and fast (a common problem during such situations) and landed in an adjacent cornfield upside down, after the left wing and propeller struck the ground first.  Luckily the pilot and all skydivers survived.

The engine manufacturer, Pratt & Whitney Canada had issued Service Information Letters (SILs) recommending borescope inspections of the CT blades to look for blade creep and fatigue cracks.  However, the owner of this aircraft said that he was unaware of the SILs and did not perform the inspections.

We as pilots can all learn from this accident.  Do not ever assume that the owner of the airplane that you're flying is in compliance with all of the required Airworthiness Directives AND recommended Service Information Letters.  I know a lot of you had never even heard of a SIL.  Search to see if there are any on record for the airplane that you fly. Stay sharp.... fly safe!