Dehavilland DHC-6 TWIN accident near Orange, Virginia, June 13, 2009
On June 13, 2009 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Dehavilland DHC-6 TWIN, registered N204EH, was involved in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Orange, Virginia (Orange Country Airport). 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 pilot's improper decision to perform a low-level maneuver over a populated skydive landing area and his inadequate visual lookout.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 13, 2009 · about 11:45 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Orange, Virginia · Orange Country Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dehavilland DHC-6 TWIN · all DHC-6 TWINs on the register
- Registration
- N204EH · registry record · serial 61
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Skydiving flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that after the 20 skydivers left the airplane, he “descended and entered at a 45-degree angle for the downwind leg for landing on runway 08.” Once on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, the pilot stated that the “windshield began fogging up.” The pilot decided to make a 360-degree turn to the right while he wiped the window with a rag. The pilot further stated that the last altitude he remembered being at was 2,000 feet mean sea level. Many of the skydivers had landed in a predetermined landing area, which was a field 0.25 nautical miles northwest of the runway. They reported that the airplane was conducting a “low-pass” about 30 feet above the ground when its propeller struck a descending skydiver’s parachute. The skydiver was seriously injured when he fell approximately 20 feet and struck the ground, but the airplane landed without incident. A few of the skydivers stated that the jump was a memorial exercise to release the ashes of a friend that recently died. They added that the airplane's low pass was part of the memorial exercise. The winds recorded at the airport about the time of the accident were calm. The pilot did not report any mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
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
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,921 hours in all; 1,314 in this make and model; 166 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 2,701 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 20, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 40,624 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 6, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 11,500 lb
- Seats: 23
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: P&W Canada PT6A-60A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P&W Canada PT6A-60A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Skydive Factory INC
The flight
- Departed from: OMH Orange VA at 11:25 pm
- Destination: OMH Orange VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 08, 3,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 11:43 pm from OMH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on July 24, 2009. 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 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Witness Statements | PDF, 25 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Skydiver Drop Zones | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Weather - Komh Metars | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photo - Torn Parachute in Feld with Accident Airplane in Background (Provided by Witness) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N204EH the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N204EH on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Dehavilland DHC-6 114 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Dehavilland 861 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W Canada PT6A-60A 1,176 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: P&W Canada PT6A-60A 1,176 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Orange County · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Virginia 1,361 since 1982 · 228 in the last ten years
- Virginia 5,972 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N204EH 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA09LA344.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.