Cessna 182 accident near Green Sea, South Carolina, July 4, 1998
On July 4, 1998 at about 8:51 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N7247E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Green Sea, South Carolina. It was a skydiving flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed; 4 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadvertent activation of the skydivers pilot chute, pulling him into the horizontal stabilizer/elevator, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 1998 · about 8:51 pm local time
- Place
- Green Sea, South Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed; 4 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N7247E · registry record · serial 52247
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Skydiving flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the FAA, the skydiver was standing on the strut preparing to jump when his pilot parachute opened and wrapped around the tail section of the airplane. The skydiver was pulled from the strut and into the empennage section. He impacted the right horizontal stabilizer and elevator, causing substantial damage to the tail. The skydiver was fatally injured. The airplane was landed, using the elevator trim, without further incident.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,040 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 1,914 as pilot in command; 420 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,905 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 7, 1998; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S79
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 13 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 pm from MYR, 50 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 3 |
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.