Skydiving Plane Crash Investigations Often Reveal Poor Maintenance and Weak Safety Oversight

Poor maintenance is a recurring factor in skydiving plane crashes, often compounded by weak safety oversight within the industry, according to past investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The NTSB has noted that the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) regulatory system for skydiving operations may not be stringent enough. Unlike charter flight operators or airlines, skydiving companies do not always undergo the same level of scrutiny, potentially allowing issues with airworthy airframes and engines to go unnoticed.

These concerns are highlighted by past NTSB findings. A 2019 crash in Hawaii that killed 11 people revealed that a plane's wing had been twisted years earlier and never repaired, a defect missed during FAA inspections. Furthermore, a review of 32 skydiving accidents between 1980 and 2008 identified persistent shortcomings in maintenance, inspections, and pilot training programs, with the FAA failing to implement recommended safety standard enhancements.

While the skydiving industry generally boasts a strong safety record, with a low death rate per jump according to the United States Parachute Association, recent incidents underscore the need for robust oversight. The NTSB's ongoing investigation into a Missouri crash that killed 12 people will aim to determine the specific cause, but past patterns suggest that maintenance and safety culture will be key areas of focus.

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These skydiving operations don't have the best maintenance to make sure they've got airworthy airframes and engines because they don't undergo the normal scrutiny that an air charter service does.