The FAA is investigating the crash of a skydiving airplane in Tullahoma, Tennessee, on Sunday where all 21 people on board the Skydive Tennessee-operated aircraft survived.
According to the FAA, the accident happened shortly after takeoff from Tullahoma Regional Airport (KTHA) around 12:45 p.m. CDT. The airport is located some 54 miles northwest of Chattanooga and is the home of the Beechcraft Heritage Museum.
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Lyle Russell, spokesperson for the city of Tullahoma, said the aircraft, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, developed an issue shortly after takeoff. The aircraft collided with trees during the approach, which spun it around.
Six people were seriously injured and taken to the hospital, while the rest sustained minor injuries and were treated at the scene.
Witnesses on the ground stated the aircraft appeared to be trying to make it back to the runway.
The emergency response was quick, Russell said.
“Tullahoma Police and Tullahoma Fire [departments] were on scene in minutes, along with Tennessee Highway Patrol, the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department, Coffee County Emergency Management Service, and Coffee County Ambulance Service,” said Russell. “We are grateful for their rapid response and hard work throughout the day.”
Photographs of the wreckage show the fuselage of the airplane with the nose down and crushed, while the tail appears to have separated.
FLYING reached out to Skydive Tennessee for comment, but inquiries were not returned by press time.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported the airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 skydiving flight. The NTSB is now handling the accident investigation.
