Dehavilland DHC 6 200 N223AL accident near Middletown, Ohio

Probable cause

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.

NTSB analysis

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.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN14LA272 for the full record.