Cessna 208 accident near Jenkinsburg, Georgia, September 29, 1985
On September 29, 1985 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 208, registered N551CC, was destroyed in an accident near Jenkinsburg, Georgia (West Wind Sport Parachute airport). It was a skydiving flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 17 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 1985 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Jenkinsburg, Georgia · West Wind Sport Parachute · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 17 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208 · all 208s on the register
- Registration
- N551CC · registry record · serial 20800017
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Skydiving flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AS THE PLT & 16 JUMPERS DEPTD ON A SKYDIVING FLT, THE ENG LOST PWR AT APRX 300' AGL. THE ACFT THEN BANKED STEEPLY LEFT, SPIRALED IN A STEEP NOSE DWN ATTITUDE & CRASHED. AN EXAM REVEALED FUEL IN THE TANKS WAS CONTAMINATED WITH WTR & FOREIGN MATERIAL WITH THE APPEARANCE OF BROWN ALGAE. MILKY FLUID (APRX 65% JET FUEL & 34% WTR) WAS FND IN THE ENG FUEL CONTROL, AS WELL AS IRON CONTAMINANTS. DARK STRINGY MATERIAL WAS FND IN THE FUEL FILTERS. THE ACFT HAD BEEN REFUELED FM 55 GAL DRUMS WHICH CONTAINED CONTAMINATED FUEL. THE DRUMS WERE STORED UPRIGHT & RAIN WATER COULD LEAK THRU THE FILLER CAPS. N551CC HAD A HISTORY OF FUEL CONTAMINATION WHICH ON OCCASIONS CAUSED THE FUEL BYPASS INDICATOR TO DISPLAY. RPRTDLY, THE STALL WARNING CIRCUIT BRKR HAD BEEN DISENGAGED ON OTHER OCCASIONS, SO AS NOT TO STARTLE THE JUMPERS; HOWEVER, DUE TO DMG, ITS PREIMPACT PSN COULD NOT BE VERIFIED. ACFT WAS ESTD TO BE 370 LBS OVR ITS MAX WT LMT & 1' FWD OF THE CG LMT. THE9 PAX SEATS HAD BEEN RMVD TO HAUL UP TO 18 JUMPERS. PAX SEAT BELTS WERE NOT USED. LACK OF FAA SURVEILLANCE WAS NOTED.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,907 hours in all; 4,308 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 350 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, September 10, 1985; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-114 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 3,170 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 12:30 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 16 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.