Dehavilland DHC 6 200 accident near Middletown, Ohio, June 1, 2014
On June 1, 2014 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 1969 Dehavilland DHC 6 200, registered N223AL, suffered minor damage in an accident during standing (engine(s) operating) near Middletown, Ohio (Middletown Regional/Hook Field). It was a skydiving flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The skydiving operator employee’s failure to see and avoid the rotating propeller blades when she walked toward the cockpit while the airplane’s engines were running.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 1, 2014 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Middletown, Ohio · Middletown Regional/Hook Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dehavilland DHC 6 200 200, built 1969 · all DHC 6 200s on the register
- Registration
- N223AL · registry record · serial 223
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Skydiving flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The skydiving airplane was on a ramp with its engines operating while the pilot waited for passengers to board. The pilot asked an employee of the skydiving operator if he could order something to eat for lunch. The employee responded that she had time to come see the pilot at the airplane because she was expecting a small delay before the next flight. The pilot thought the delay was not long enough to justify shutting down the engines. The pilot observed the employee exit the manifest office and run toward the airplane. The skydiving operator typically flew single-engine airplanes with the propeller located in front of the cockpit; however, the accident airplane was a twin-engine airplane with its propellers located under each wing. The operator's employee subsequently walked into the operating propeller under the airplane's left wing, sustaining fatal injuries.
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
What happened, in order
- AC/prop/rotor contact w person during standing (engine(s) operating) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Attention › Airport personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,800 hours in all; 1,075 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 2,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 12, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 35,334 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 30, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 11,953 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: P&W Canada PT6A-20 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P&W Canada PT6A-20 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Win Win Aviation INC
The flight
- Departed from: MWO Middletown OH
- Destination: MWO Middletown OH
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from KMWO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on August 7, 2014. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 - Pilot | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 - Operator | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.