Skydiving Accidents at Lodi, California

Palmpilot

Palmpilot

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This article is dated April 19th, but I didn't get around to posting it till now. I don't know how their safety record compares to skydiving in general.

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/arti...a-skydiving-death-lodi-parachute-16111985.php

Yet another death at notorious Calif. skydiving center, bringing total to 22 since 1981

Yet another skydiver has died at the Skydive Lodi Parachute Center.

The skydiving school in San Joaquin County is now the site of 22 recorded deaths since opening in 1981. Nine of those deaths have occurred since 2016, according to the FAA.

The woman, identified as 57-year-old Sabrina Call of Watsonville by the San Joaquin County coroner, died on Saturday afternoon, officials said. A parachutist who jumped with her called the sheriff's office reporting that the victim's parachute became tangled....​
 
Millions of skydives in that time.

In this case, an experienced skydiver who get entangled in her chute. Not the centers fault (beyond giving her a ride to altitude I guess).

The back of your parachute has a label: 'Skydiving is a dangerous activity that may result in permanent injury or death.'
 
The article makes quite a lot out of the past history of this particular operation. Whether it's any worse than the sport in general, I don't know.
 
Palmpilot said:
The article makes quite a lot out of the past history of this particular operation. Whether it's any worse than the sport in general, I don't know.
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It's SFGate, there is your answer.
 
Palmpilot said:
This article is dated April 19th, but I didn't get around to posting it till now. I don't know how their safety record compares to skydiving in general.

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/arti...a-skydiving-death-lodi-parachute-16111985.php

Yet another death at notorious Calif. skydiving center, bringing total to 22 since 1981

Yet another skydiver has died at the Skydive Lodi Parachute Center.

The skydiving school in San Joaquin County is now the site of 22 recorded deaths since opening in 1981. Nine of those deaths have occurred since 2016, according to the FAA.

The woman, identified as 57-year-old Sabrina Call of Watsonville by the San Joaquin County coroner, died on Saturday afternoon, officials said. A parachutist who jumped with her called the sheriff's office reporting that the victim's parachute became tangled....​
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Honestly... it seems about 1 death per year, per drop zone seems about the norm.
 
They do have quite the bad rep out here. People divert to Yolo, Byron, and other places just to avoid it as those ops for some reason have far less incidents and accidents going on.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Tantalum said:
..and if the article doesn't mention that then it can best be described as misleading and/or sensational

Our media is sheer and utter trash.
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Granted, two towns do not make the general statistics, but I have lived in the heart of two of the most well known skydiving DZ’s in the country. It’s always been roughly one major accident per year.
 
As the old saying goes ... "If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you!"

I was invited to skydive with several instructors years ago when that was the business of the FBO at the airport at the time. I always declined but when they brought in the King Air I suggested that a plane that large might be big enough to get enough folks in it to be able to get me out the door. :rofl:
 
I hated dropping guys in the king air 90. The tail sat low and there was a narrow speed range where it was a safe jump. The one I flew had splattered four jumpers on the horizontal stab in its career as a jump plane. I like the twin otter. It was a great airplane for jumping.
 
Tarheelpilot said:
I hated dropping guys in the king air 90. The tail sat low and there was a narrow speed range where it was a safe jump. The one I flew had splattered four jumpers on the horizontal stab in its career as a jump plane. I like the twin otter. It was a great airplane for jumping.
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Wow. Four. What were the circumstances? Pilots getting out of that narrow speed range? Something else?
 
Daleandee said:
As the old saying goes ... "If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you!"

I was invited to skydive with several instructors years ago when that was the business of the FBO at the airport at the time. I always declined but when they brought in the King Air I suggested that a plane that large might be big enough to get enough folks in it to be able to get me out the door. :rofl:
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Would one with a gun have been enough, or would you have just said go ahead, shoot?:goofy:
 
luvflyin said:
Wow. Four. What were the circumstances? Pilots getting out of that narrow speed range? Something else?
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Skydivers not being good in the 'taking directions' department.
 
One of my all-time favorite stories. About 28 years ago I wanted to go parachuting and went to Lodi. I was about 3 groups away from jumping and thought I'll just go see if I can sit right seat in the DC-3 to just riding along for that experience. I told the pilot that I held Comm\Inst. at the time (I was about 25 yo) and he allowed me to join him. After taking off he started a slow circle to gain altitude. He asked if I wanted the controls to which I gladly accepted. After a couple of 360's he said "you got this, I'm going to grab my lunch" at which point he left me alone in the cockpit, alone, flying a plane I have never flown before. I enjoyed it and found it amusing as it is a very easy plane to fly. I wondered what happened to the pilot and looked back in the cabin to see a DC-3 completely full of parachuters and the pilot standing back in the cabin eating his sandwich. He returned later and thanked me for "holding down the fort" in his absence. I did jump later that day and survived!
 
Don’t know if it’s the same guys, but jump operations out of Lodi have a reputation.

With my CFI as a student pilot about 7 years ago, was talking a practice x-country with Lodi as a checkpoint.
  • I radio within 10 miles of airport, didn’t hear anyone.
  • Same 5 miles out
  • 2.5 miles out make another CTAF call. Now a reply “Stay away - Jumpers in the air”.
  • I asked what edge of airport, I’m less than 2 miles out. Reply “JUMPERS IN THE AIR - LEAVE the AREA!”
  • I then said, “turning away to the West, hope I don't hit anybody”
  • Women pilot radios in bound 10 miles out. Same Reply “Stay away - Jumpers in the air”
  • Lodi Jump operator then picks a fight with her over the radio
Safety First!
 
Peter Anderson said:
They do have quite the bad rep out here. People divert to Yolo, Byron, and other places just to avoid it as those ops for some reason have far less incidents and accidents going on.
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Bingo!
You only fly Lodi once to alter your flight plan in the future. On flight following ATC always vectors planes WAY around Lodi. ATC knows it’s an active jump area but does not known when or where jumps occur.

I know the FAA has had several investigations, and a couple of years ago seized all their records. Ops have been shutdown more than once, but like a pulled weed - just keeps popping back.
 
Wow... SFGate is bad, but there are lots of people on this thread who are commenting without knowing the first thing about skydiving.

1) I think it highly unlikely that a KingAir 90 that had been a part of four jump related stab strikes would be flying any longer. Such events are generally fatal to both skydiver and airplane.
2) I don't believe for a minute that anyone who is typed in a DC-3 would simply hand the controls to someone who had never flown one, (especially one loaded with skydivers), and leave the flight deck.

I've only got about 500 flight hours, but I have just about 3,000 skydives. There's some serious hangar talk going on here.
 
GimpyPilot said:
Wow... SFGate is bad, but there are lots of people on this thread who are commenting without knowing the first thing about skydiving.

1) I think it highly unlikely that a KingAir 90 that had been a part of four jump related stab strikes would be flying any longer. Such events are generally fatal to both skydiver and airplane.
2) I don't believe for a minute that anyone who is typed in a DC-3 would simply hand the controls to someone who had never flown one, (especially one loaded with skydivers), and leave the flight deck.

I've only got about 500 flight hours, but I have just about 3,000 skydives. There's some serious hangar talk going on here.
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Sometimes crazy stuff happens. I can’t speak for any of the other posts you referenced but the king air had been hauling jumpers for many decades. One of the fatalities happened when I was around. So I know that one happened. I was told about the other three so I guess they could have lied to me. Not sure why they would have …

i have no jumps so I’m not commenting on the ops at Lodi or anywhere else. All I know is how to fly the meat wagon.
 
NordicDave said:
Don’t know if it’s the same guys, but jump operations out of Lodi have a reputation.

With my CFI as a student pilot about 7 years ago, was talking a practice x-country with Lodi as a checkpoint.
  • I radio within 10 miles of airport, didn’t hear anyone.
  • Same 5 miles out
  • 2.5 miles out make another CTAF call. Now a reply “Stay away - Jumpers in the air”.
  • I asked what edge of airport, I’m less than 2 miles out. Reply “JUMPERS IN THE AIR - LEAVE the AREA!”
  • I then said, “turning away to the West, hope I don't hit anybody”
  • Women pilot radios in bound 10 miles out. Same Reply “Stay away - Jumpers in the air”
  • Lodi Jump operator then picks a fight with her over the radio
Safety First!
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Honestly, this is your CFI's mistake. He should never, ever have allowed you to choose an airport with a co-located DZ as a waypoint on a student solo.
 
While I definitely don't want to imply any humor over a persons death am I the only one that read this line "Another jumper was left dead in a nearby vineyard after a failed jump at the center in 2012." and thought well, I wouldn't call it a failed jump? I mean, the person successfully did jump from the plane. An aircraft crash isn't called a failed flight, a car wreck isn't called a failed drive. They jumped, but failed to land so I'd just call it a fatal jump.
 
GimpyPilot said:
1) I think it highly unlikely that a KingAir 90 that had been a part of four jump related stab strikes would be flying any longer. Such events are generally fatal to both skydiver and airplane.
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Before the days of AADs, all it took was a little tap to the head for a skydive to end with a splat. Doesn't have to take the plane down. Otoh premature deployments over the stab usually ended with the plane in pieces.

2) I don't believe for a minute that anyone who is typed in a DC-3 would simply hand the controls to someone who had never flown one, (especially one loaded with skydivers), and leave the flight deck.
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That one sounds entirely plausible.
 
GimpyPilot said:
Honestly, this is your CFI's mistake. He should never, ever have allowed you to choose an airport with a co-located DZ as a waypoint on a student solo.
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Honestly, learn to read and comprehend. He clearly stated "with my CFI as a student pilot..."
 
GimpyPilot said:
Honestly, this is your CFI's mistake. He should never, ever have allowed you to choose an airport with a co-located DZ as a waypoint on a student solo.
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Why not? He should have briefed it with the student first but there is nothing wrong with a student flying into an airport with an active drop zone. I got my license at 7b9. It had a very active drop zone on the weekends and a helicopter school based there. My solo flights regularly involved skydivers landing in a field right next to the airport and helicopters flying right traffic patterns. It was a perfectly safe situation as long as you understood what else was going on while entering or in the traffic pattern and making adjustments as necessary.
 
kmacht said:
Why not? He should have briefed it with the student first but there is nothing wrong with a student flying into an airport with an active drop zone. I got my license at 7b9. It had a very active drop zone on the weekends and a helicopter school based there. My solo flights regularly involved skydivers landing in a field right next to the airport and helicopters flying right traffic patterns. It was a perfectly safe situation as long as you understood what else was going on while entering or in the traffic pattern and making adjustments as necessary.
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Yours is perhaps the exception... Most students don't learn in and around active DZs, but I can't tell you how many we times we had some brand new pilot come bombing into the wrong pattern right in the middle of a hot sky, and this was at L65, which is one of the most active DZs in the United States. Inevitably, we'd hear "Oh... Sorry, I forgot to check the AFD. I just wanted some gas and a sandwich." The DZ is of course charted, and procedures are very clearly noted in the AFD. (Nevermind that the AFD also says that there's no 100LL on the field.) Why not? Because this is the kind of stuff that kills people who are doing everything right.
 
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GimpyPilot said:
Wow... SFGate is bad, but there are lots of people on this thread who are commenting without knowing the first thing about skydiving.

1) I think it highly unlikely that a KingAir 90 that had been a part of four jump related stab strikes would be flying any longer. Such events are generally fatal to both skydiver and airplane.
2) I don't believe for a minute that anyone who is typed in a DC-3 would simply hand the controls to someone who had never flown one, (especially one loaded with skydivers), and leave the flight deck.

I've only got about 500 flight hours, but I have just about 3,000 skydives. There's some serious hangar talk going on here.
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I have one jump and 600 hours and that’s enough to know that you need to never go jump out of Lodi lol


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
Will Kumley said:
While I definitely don't want to imply any humor over a persons death am I the only one that read this line "Another jumper was left dead in a nearby vineyard after a failed jump at the center in 2012." and thought well, I wouldn't call it a failed jump? I mean, the person successfully did jump from the plane. An aircraft crash isn't called a failed flight, a car wreck isn't called a failed drive. They jumped, but failed to land so I'd just call it a fatal jump.
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this is why you and I will never be allowed to be newspaper editors. We would insist on accuracy and drive all the fragile “reporters” away.
 
GimpyPilot said:
Honestly, this is your CFI's mistake. He should never, ever have allowed you to choose an airport with a co-located DZ as a waypoint on a student solo.
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my student class c solo was to Fayetteville and I got diverted 15 miles out of the way due to civilian jumping at Ft. Bragg. It was a hazy day and after all the vectoring I only had a general idea which direction the airport was.
 
GimpyPilot said:
Yours is perhaps the exception... Most students don't learn in and around active DZs, but I can't tell you how many we had some brand new pilot come bombing into the wrong pattern right in the middle of a hot sky, and this was at L65, which is one of the most active DZs in the United States. Inevitably, we'd hear "Oh... Sorry, I forgot to check the AFD. I just wanted some gas and a sandwich." The DZ is of course charted, and procedures are very clearly noted in the AFD. (Nevermind that the AFD also says that there's no 100LL on the field.) Why not? Because this is the kind of stuff that kills people who are doing everything right.
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I flew to Perris Valley about 10 years ago. I called ahead on the phone and told them I was coming. I remember doing that because I read that you are supposed to do that. May have been in the A/FD, but it's not there now. Probably was on their website. I often google airports I haven't been to before to see what I can find. You can find lots of good info that way. Like pictures of how they do traffic patterns etc. I checked out their current website and didn't see anything about flying in, but I'm pretty sure it did back then. Maybe they should consider getting a note put in the A/FD and/or put something in their website about flying in procedures. https://skydiveperris.com/
Here's a pic I took. I was hoping to get an angle where it looked like someone was diving right into the back of the truck but couldn't, oh well.
DSCN1892.JPG
 
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I got a thousand hours and a thousand jumps and Lodi was one of my favorite places. They have a lot of those "scary little planes" there though. Perspective is fun.

A fatality every other year is not happy but they do a lot of jumps (for reference there were 11 total in 2020). Perris, Lodi, DeLand, Eloy will all have a their share because they're big.

As far as flying there, just be aware. Kind of like an airfield with a large cadre of international students or helicopter training or gliders. It is as safe as you are, we can share the sky.
 
luvflyin said:
I flew to Perris Valley about 10 years ago. I called ahead on the phone and told them I was coming. I remember doing that because I read that you are supposed to do that. May have been in the A/FD, but it's not there now. Probably was on their website. I often google airports I haven't been to before to see what I can find. You can find lots of good info that way. Like pictures of how they do traffic patterns etc. I checked out their current website and didn't see anything about flying in, but I'm pretty sure it did back then. Maybe they should consider getting a note put in the A/FD and/or put something in their website about flying in procedures. https://skydiveperris.com/
Here's a pic I took. I was hoping to get an angle where it looked like someone was diving right into the back of the truck but couldn't, oh well.
View attachment 96063
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I'm glad you visited Perris, and did your homework first. It was my home and my hangout for several years. I still visit on occasion.

Incidentally, here are the remarks from the 2021 AF/D:

AIRPORT REMARKS: Attended dawn–dusk. Fuel available for emergency use only. Parachute Jumping. Extensive ultralight and parachuting activities daily, do not overfly arpt, avoid airspace adjacent East. Ultralights on and in vicinity of arpt. Ultralight and parachuting activities can be monitored on frequency 122.775​

Perhaps I'll mention adding a suggested phone call to the remarks. I think you are correct about some information having been on the website in the past.
 
GimpyPilot said:
2) I don't believe for a minute that anyone who is typed in a DC-3 would simply hand the controls to someone who had never flown one, (especially one loaded with skydivers), and leave the flight deck.

.
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Are you suggesting I made this up, or calling me a liar? I lived it, so make of it what you want. You can check my history, I am not one for many stories, but this was true. I live 30 minutes from Lodi and I still have the video of my one and only jump.
 
GimpyPilot said:
I don't believe for a minute that anyone who is typed in a DC-3 would simply hand the controls to someone who had never flown one, (especially one loaded with skydivers), and leave the flight deck.
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Not in the US.. but.. I have heard of stories from people close to me of similar situations. It does sound crazy.. but 30 years ago was a different time and the poster was a licensed commercial pilot. I am aware of piloting events in South America and Russia.. however in each case the plane was chartered so not totally apples:apples. I'm particularly jealous of the guy who flew a chartered TU-154.. guy got to sit in the left seat, in flight, and has a great polaroid to prove it.. pilot didn't go for a sandwich but was milling about the cabin

luvflyin said:
I flew to Perris Valley about 10 years ago
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It's been on my list, but given how busy they are I haven't been.. yet! I do appreciate that at least for Oceanside and Perris SoCal is aware and gives large vectors.. they seem to have their operation together

My girlfriend got me a gift certificate to Sky Dive San Diego.. I haven't used it yet but it's on the agenda for this year..
 
Tantalum said:
Not in the US.. but.. I have heard of stories from people close to me of similar situations. It does sound crazy.. but 30 years ago was a different time and the poster was a licensed commercial pilot. I am aware of piloting events in South America and Russia.. however in each case the plane was chartered so not totally apples:apples. I'm particularly jealous of the guy who flew a chartered TU-154.. guy got to sit in the left seat, in flight, and has a great polaroid to prove it.. pilot didn't go for a sandwich but was milling about the cabin


It's been on my list, but given how busy they are I haven't been.. yet! I do appreciate that at least for Oceanside and Perris SoCal is aware and gives large vectors.. they seem to have their operation together

My girlfriend got me a gift certificate to Sky Dive San Diego.. I haven't used it yet but it's on the agenda for this year..
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Have fun with jump. Being a Cirrus dude I know ya been wantin to pull the chute someday, here's yer chance. Perris Valley is cool. Restaurant/Bar full of adrenaline junkies whooping it up. View of the swimming pool and the jumpers. Jump planes taking off and doing Crowbar One Arrivals. Great atmosphere. Ya gets more than just a good burger.
 
luvflyin said:
Have fun with jump. Being a Cirrus dude I know ya been wantin to pull the chute someday, here's yer chance. Perris Valley is cool. Restaurant/Bar full of adrenaline junkies whooping it up. View of the swimming pool and the jumpers. Jump planes taking off and doing Crowbar One Arrivals. Great atmosphere. Ya gets more than just a good burger.
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Thanks, I'm excited. I feel like as a pilot, and a Cirrus pilot at that, I need to jump from a plane at least once in my life..
 
Tantalum said:
Not in the US.. but.. I have heard of stories from people close to me of similar situations. It does sound crazy.. but 30 years ago was a different time and the poster was a licensed commercial pilot. I am aware of piloting events in South America and Russia.. however in each case the plane was chartered so not totally apples:apples. I'm particularly jealous of the guy who flew a chartered TU-154.. guy got to sit in the left seat, in flight, and has a great polaroid to prove it.. pilot didn't go for a sandwich but was milling about the cabin
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I have about 0.1 of left-seat time in CAF's C-46 in my logbook. The instructor even had me do a steep turn (which I didn't do particularly well - I lost about 200 feet of altitude, but in my defense it was the only time I had been at the controls of anything that large :redface:).
 
Palmpilot said:
I have about 0.1 of left-seat time in CAF's C-46 in my logbook. The instructor even had me do a steep turn (which I didn't do particularly well - I lost about 200 feet of altitude, but in my defense it was the only time I had been at the controls of anything that large :redface:).
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Always preferred the C-46 to the DC-3.. thing looks seriously huge on the ramp as it towers over you
 
Tantalum said:
Always preferred the C-46 to the DC-3.. thing looks seriously huge on the ramp as it towers over you
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It was based in Camarillo when I was in CAF. I see that it has since been moved to Dallas.
 
Palmpilot said:
It was based in Camarillo when I was in CAF. I see that it has since been moved to Dallas.
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That's a bummer, must be "relatively" recent as it was still there when I last had lunch at CMA.. too bad.
 
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