Primary finding
Probable cause
The inadvertent deployment of the skydiving instructor's drogue chute when he exited the airplane, resulting in it contacting and damaging the horizontal stabilizer.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
**This report was modified on 1/8/1014. Please see the public docket for this accident to view the original report.** According to the pilot, he leveled the airplane at 8,500 feet for a tandem skydive. When the instructor exited the airplane, the nose pitched up, then the airplane pitched over into a right, descending turn. The pilot assessed the situation and determined that the right horizontal stabilizer was bent. He later determined that the instructor's drogue chute became trapped under the flap handle, resulting in a premature deployment of the parachute. The drogue chute then caught the horizontal stabilizer, resulting in a 45-degree downward bend. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Source record
Factual narrative
**This report was modified on 1/8/1014. Please see the public docket for this accident to view the original report.** According to the pilot, he leveled the airplane at 8,500 feet for a tandem skydive. When the instructor exited the airplane, the nose pitched up, then the airplane pitched over into a right, descending turn. The pilot assessed the situation and determined that the right horizontal stabilizer was bent. He later determined that the instructor's drogue chute became trapped under the flap handle, resulting in a premature deployment of the parachute. The drogue chute then caught the horizontal stabilizer, resulting in a 45-degree downward bend. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.