Cessna 208-B | N1259K

The DTSB determines the Probable Cause of this accident to be a failed flight control system, in that the aircraft flap system did not retract evenly and symmetrically after jumpers got out on jump run. The aircraft ended up split flaps, with one side remaining at full, and the other at zero, which made the aircraft turn violently in one direction, inducing a spin. It has not been reported whether or not the pilot was wearing a bailout rig at the time, but it is not likely that the pilot would have been unable to egress during the violent spin even if she had been wearing a bailout rig, due to extreme centrifugal forces.. The aircraft impacted the ground nearly vertical and all of the wreckage was found to be located inside of a very small area. The pilot was trained and had ample altitude to effect a normal spin recovery if this had been a simple stall/spin after jumpers got out.

The DTSB recommends that all pilots of all Caravan 208 type aircraft review this accident, and rehearse and condition themselves for the proper response to this abnormal condition. The DTSB recommends that flap extension and retraction be tested during taxi out for verification of proper operation until the fault is identified and corrected mechanically fleetwide.