Co-pilot jumps out of the aircraft while on approach during an emergency landing...

[Jet Jockey]

At KRDU airport yesterday. The aircraft had a main right gear issue.

​​​​​​​Very weird and I can't wait to hear the captain's version of this story.

https://ca.yahoo.com/news/mystery-surro ... 38183.html

Body found about 4 hours after the incident.

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local ... 74426.html

[TG]

The Casa 212 is a fixed gear by the way.

A "hard landing" after which they managed to get airborne again seems to explain why they lost a wheel.
Kind of a freak accident yes, I'm wondering if the guy was trying to look at the gear leg assembly via the opened tail gate and just lost his grip. Although, kind off hard to see but the tail gate seems closed on landing so I just don't know...


https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/m ... fort-bragg

http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2022/07/c ... ident.html

[Rooster69]

Latest news, based on interview with Captain, is that FO jumped at 3500’ aiming for a body of water!

[goingmissed]

Latest news, based on interview with Captain, is that FO jumped at 3500’ aiming for a body of water!

He missed.

His choice was as incredibly stupid as it is incredibly sad.

[fish4life]

Latest news, based on interview with Captain, is that FO jumped at 3500’ aiming for a body of water!

He missed.

His choice was as incredibly stupid as it is incredibly sad.

Nothing sad about it thank god he did it before becoming a cpt or flying single pilot where he could have killed others

[goingmissed]

Nothing sad about it thank god he did it before becoming a cpt or flying single pilot where he could have killed others

Don't pretend that you have never done something incredibly stupid. While this person died from their mistake, you didn't. Survival does not mean innocence.

[fish4life]

Nothing sad about it thank god he did it before becoming a cpt or flying single pilot where he could have killed others

Don't pretend that you have never done something incredibly stupid. While this person died from their mistake, you didn't. Survival does not mean innocence.

If you call going a bit fast on a motorcycle stupid when I was younger sure but that’s nothing like being relied upon in a professional situation and jumping out of an airplane.

[goingmissed]

Nothing sad about it thank god he did it before becoming a cpt or flying single pilot where he could have killed others

Don't pretend that you have never done something incredibly stupid. While this person died from their mistake, you didn't. Survival does not mean innocence.

If you call going a bit fast on a motorcycle stupid when I was younger sure but that’s nothing like being relied upon in a professional situation and jumping out of an airplane.

My wife would say that riding a motorcycle is as stupid as leaning out of an airplane in flight. Perspective.

[lownslow]

Latest news, based on interview with Captain, is that FO jumped at 3500’ aiming for a body of water!

That sounds kinda sus. These things have a CVR?

[digits_]

Weird.

Their callsign "Shady" does seem appropriate....

[fish4life]

Don't pretend that you have never done something incredibly stupid. While this person died from their mistake, you didn't. Survival does not mean innocence.

If you call going a bit fast on a motorcycle stupid when I was younger sure but that’s nothing like being relied upon in a professional situation and jumping out of an airplane.

My wife would say that riding a motorcycle is as stupid as leaning out of an airplane in flight. Perspective.

They weren’t leaning out they jumped and tried to land in a body of water…

[Mick G]

Wonder is foul play is involved.....

[TG]

Latest news, based on interview with Captain, is that FO jumped at 3500’ aiming for a body of water!

Can’t find anything about Captain interview, so far “Jumping” “Aiming to a body of water” seems to be just some low ball journos interpretation of things.

In meanwhile blancolirio’s review on it:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JBh2IQPwc8o

[Rooster69]

Latest news, based on interview with Captain, is that FO jumped at 3500’ aiming for a body of water!

Can’t find anything about Captain interview, so far “Jumping” “Aiming to a body of water” seems to be just some low ball journos interpretation of things.

In meanwhile blancolirio’s review on it:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JBh2IQPwc8o

Don’t know if this was the original outlet that reported said events, but it took all of a minute to type in “pilot, body of water”.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news ... cy-landing

[phillyfan]

And the Avcanada armchair accident investigators get another one wrong and look foolish in the process

[AirFrame]

Don’t know if this was the original outlet that reported said events, but it took all of a minute to type in “pilot, body of water”.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news ... cy-landing

Still sounds incredibly suspicious. Like the next question wouldn't be "why did he do that?" and like the reporter wouldn't have been all over the answer. Something extra fishy was going on here.

[Rooster69]

For sure! Reporters always getting it wrong. I doubt the other guy threw him out. Fall out? Maybe. Jump? People do all sort of stupid things under pressure. Many videos of people jumping out of cars instead of staying inside for a low energy fender bender.

That a/c must have a cvr?

[TG]

- NTSB issues the preliminary report into the fatal accident involving a CASA C-212 Aviocar 200, N497CA, that occurred July 29, 2022, at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU/KRDU), Morrisville, North Carolina:
On July 29, 2022, about 1404 eastern daylight time, a Casa 212-200, N497CA, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Raeford, North Carolina. The pilot-in-command was not injured, and the second-in-command sustained fatal injuries during the subsequent diversion to the Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), Durham, North Carolina. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 skydiving flight.
The pilot-in-command (PIC) reported that they flew two skydiving runs then descended to the Raeford West Airport (NR20), Raeford, North Carolina, to pick up a third group of skydivers. The second-in-command (SIC) was flying the approach to NR20 and was “on heading, altitude and airspeed” until the airplane descended below the tree line and “dropped.” Both pilots called for a go-around maneuver, which the SIC initiated; however, before the SIC could arrest the airplane’s sink rate and initiate a climb, the right main landing gear (RMLG) impacted the runway surface. The PIC assumed the flight controls upon the airplane reaching 400 ft agl, then flew a low approach over NR20 to have airfield personnel verify damage. The personnel subsequently called the PIC to let him know that they recovered the fractured RMLG on the runway. The PIC directed the SIC to declare an emergency and request a diversion to RDU for landing.
While enroute to RDU, the crew coordinated with air traffic control, operations, and their customer, and planned their approach and landing at RDU, with the SIC responsible for communicating with air traffic control while the PIC flew the airplane. The PIC reported that there was moderate turbulence during the flight, and that about 20 minutes into the diversion to RDU, after conducting approach and emergency briefings, the SIC became visibly upset about the hard landing. Review of preliminary air traffic control radio communication information from the Federal Aviation Administration indicated that the SIC had been communicating with air traffic control up to that point in the flight. In his final transmission, the SIC acknowledged a course heading from air traffic control. The PIC described that about this time the SIC opened his side cockpit window, and “may have gotten sick.” The PIC took over radio communications, and the SIC lowered the ramp in the back of the airplane, indicating that felt like he was going to be sick and needed air. The PIC stated that the SIC then got up from his seat, removed his headset, apologized, and departed the airplane via the aft ramp door. The PIC stated that there was a bar one could grab about 6 ft above the ramp; however, he did not witness the SIC grab the bar before exiting the airplane. The PIC then turned the airplane to the right to search for the SIC. In a radio transmission to air traffic control about 1 ½ minutes after the SIC’s radio acknowledgement of the course heading, the PIC notified air traffic control that his copilot had departed the airplane without a parachute. The PIC proceeded on course to RDU, where he performed a low-approach and then emergency landing. Upon landing, the airplane departed the right side of the runway and came to rest upright in the grass.
Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the RMLG, landing gear fittings, and the airframe structure where the fittings attach.
The airplane was retained for further examination.

Ah well....

[digits_]

Do pilots dropping skydivers have to wear a parachute in the US?

[DanWEC]

There wasn't much description on the severity of the first impact, but I wonder if the SIC somehow got his head rattled during the sequence. People can do unexplainable things without recall during the start of a concussion, would also explain the vomiting.

[bodyflyer2]

Do pilots dropping skydivers have to wear a parachute in the US?

Not always required. Commonly used in smaller planes, less so in bigger ones. Similar in Canada.

I'm not absolutely sure of the rules but this seems to be the case:
Parachute not required by FAA. Some STC's or 337's or what have you do require it, e.g. the flip-up in-flight door modifications for typical single piston engine Cessna used for skydiving. Some dropzones may require pilots to wear a chute. There's more of a push to wear one for low tail aircraft (e.g., Caravan), but less so for higher tail aircraft (e.g., Twin Otter, Skyvan, CASA), where there's less chance of a premature parachute opening by a skydiver taking out the tail or catching on the tail and causing control problems.

[JHR]

https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/16/us/north ... newsletter

[J31]

Something really fishy about this story.

First, the captain lets things get so out of control during a landing that they knock the right main gear clean off! Then the story is the f/o opens the ramp, gets up, and walks out the ramp!

The captain knows there is WAY more than that!

I think this guy fell out assessing the damage done by the hard landing.

[AirFrame]

I think this guy fell out assessing the damage done by the hard landing.

A lot of us thought this may be the case, despite the pilot's initial brief statement... Now the later report seems to give more details that suggest it was indeed accurate.

Two things now seem likely to me... One is concussion, if the co-pilot did get a good whack (maybe he hit his head?) during the hard landing, it could have put him into an odd mental state. Maybe he did want to look at the gear damage and didn't articulate it clearly, maybe he just didn't really know exactly what he was going to do, and he accidentally fell out.

Two, is that he was suffering from undisclosed or unrelated mental health issues, and the stress of the hard landing was the "breaking point" and he felt that was it, he couldn't take it anymore.