2007 — Oct 7, Plane crash, Kapowsin Air Sports (skydiving), near Naches, WA — 10
–10 Aircraft Crashes Record Office (Geneva, Switzerland). Washington.
–10 Dininny. “NTSB releases initial report…skydivers’ plane crash.” Seattle Times, 10-18-2007
–10 National Transportation Safety Board. NTSB Identification: LAX08MA007. No date.
–10 Planecrashinfo.com. “2007. Accident Details. Kapowsin Air Sports, White Pass, Oct 7.”
Dininny: “Yakima — In its final moments, the airplane carrying 10 people home from a weekend skydiving event faced low clouds and low-level turbulence before crashing into Washington’s rugged Cascades and killing all aboard, according to a preliminary report released today. Investigators have been working to determine what caused the plane to nosedive into trees just east of the Cascade crest the evening of Oct. 7. A pilot and nine skydivers died in the crash….
“The Cessna Caravan 208 crashed into thick timber at 4,300 feet, about 45 miles west of Yakima near the Goat Rocks Wilderness Area. A hunter in the crash area reported seeing the low-flying plane and said the engine appeared to be whining loudly, followed by silence….
“According to radar data, the plane made a tight 360-degree turn before losing 1,400 feet in 12 seconds. The airplane appeared to recover and stayed at 13,000 feet for three radar hits before rapidly descending at 6,800 feet per minute. The last radar ping was received at 8,900 feet, investigators said.
“The plane was registered to Kapowsin Air Sports of Shelton, located near Olympia….” (Dininny. “NTSB releases initial report on skydivers’ plane crash.” Seattle Times, 10-18-2007.)
Planecrashinfo.com. “The parachutists had gone to Boise for a skydiving meet and were returning to Shelton when the plane crashed in rugged mountain territory. Radar shows the plane was at about 13,000 feet when it reached the Teton River valley. The plane then turned around 360 degrees, then lost about 7,000 feet-per-minute before it disappeared. Reports indicate the pilot faced low clouds and low-level turbulence before the accident.” (Planecrashinfo.com.)
NTSB: “On October 7, 2007, about 1959 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 208B, N430A, collided with terrain near Naches, Washington. Kapowsin Air Sports Ltd was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The commercial pilot and nine passengers were killed; the airplane was destroyed. The flight departed Star (ID92), Idaho, about 1750 PDT, en route to Shelton (SHN), Washington. A ground observer reported low clouds, rain, and fog at the accident site. Stampede Pass (KSMP), Washington, immediately north of the accident site, reported low instrument flight rule (LIFR) conditions. Night time conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
“The pilot flew a group of skydivers from Shelton to Star on October 5th for a weekend of jumping. The owner of the Skydive Center at Star indicated that several jump flights were accomplished on the day of the accident….” (NTSB Identification: LAX08MA007. No date.)
Sources
Aircraft Crashes Record Office (Geneva, Switzerland). Washington. Accessed 3-14-2009 at: http://www.baaa-acro.com/Pays/Etats-Unis/Washington.htm
Dininny, Shannon. “NTSB releases initial report on skydivers’ plane crash.” Seattle Times, 10-18-2007. Accessed 8-20-2015: http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/ntsb-releases-initial-report-on-skydivers-plane-crash/
National Transportation Safety Board. NTSB Identification: LAX08MA007. No date. Accessed 8-20-2015 at: http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief2.aspx?ev_id=20071017X01609&ntsbno=LAX08MA007&akey=1
Planecrashinfo.com. “2007. Accident Details. Kapowsin Air Sports, White Pass, Oct 7, 2007.” Accessed at: http://www.planecrashinfo.com/2007/2007-47.htm