Narrative:

While flying parachute jumpers, the CASA212-200 was stalled at 13500 ft. A recovery was made by approximately 10000 ft. The flight was a normal 35 jumper load (6000 pound pay load) and was flown at the standard airspeed and power settings that has been used on approximately 4000 loads in the previous yr and a half. The jumpers crowded the tail of the aircraft when the line up took over 20 seconds to do. The jumpers packed up in the tail waiting to exit and put the aircraft center of gravity way aft of the limit, therefore, the aircraft stalled, pitching almost vertical, then doing a slow roll over on its back as 1/2 of the load exited the aircraft. This put me on my back, flat and stable, flying inverted. It took about 8-10 seconds to figure out what to do to get it over on its belly. Because it was trimmed full nose down, the aircraft pitched nose down at this time until I had the copilot trim the nose up. At this point, the aircraft was flat and flying. At no time did either the engines or the airframe exceed red line limitations. An inspection on the ground revealed no damage to the aircraft, therefore we continued to fly loads of parachute jumpers. The jumpers had been briefed previously about exit procedures, but apparently still failed to understand the consequences of not observing these procedures. The attitude of jumpers in the past has been that if the aircraft stalls, no matter what they do, it is always the pilot's fault. After the incident, most of the jumpers aboard and I had time to talk. After viewing videos of the incident, they realized what they had done. But at no time leading up to the stall did they know they were getting too far aft. The actions that we are immediately instituting are to mark the floor and walls with red lines and placards to inform the jumpers as to how far and how many can go where in the aircraft during exit times. We also are putting a load master on each load who stays with the aircraft after exit or who exits last. This will give us someone in the back who can monitor the exit and control the amount of weight and people in the aft position of the aircraft. We are also creating a hand- out to be given to each jumper who boards the aircraft explaining the 'do's and don'ts' during the entire flight.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE CREW OF A CASA212-200 STALLED WHEN ALL OF ITS PARACHUTE JUMPERS CROWDED AT THE REAR DOOR. THIS MOVED THE CTR OF GRAVITY AFT AND MADE THE ACFT UNCONTROLLABLE. LOSS OF ACFT CTL, IT STALLED ONTO ITS BACK.

Narrative: WHILE FLYING PARACHUTE JUMPERS, THE CASA212-200 WAS STALLED AT 13500 FT. A RECOVERY WAS MADE BY APPROX 10000 FT. THE FLT WAS A NORMAL 35 JUMPER LOAD (6000 LB PAY LOAD) AND WAS FLOWN AT THE STANDARD AIRSPD AND PWR SETTINGS THAT HAS BEEN USED ON APPROX 4000 LOADS IN THE PREVIOUS YR AND A HALF. THE JUMPERS CROWDED THE TAIL OF THE ACFT WHEN THE LINE UP TOOK OVER 20 SECONDS TO DO. THE JUMPERS PACKED UP IN THE TAIL WAITING TO EXIT AND PUT THE ACFT CTR OF GRAVITY WAY AFT OF THE LIMIT, THEREFORE, THE ACFT STALLED, PITCHING ALMOST VERT, THEN DOING A SLOW ROLL OVER ON ITS BACK AS 1/2 OF THE LOAD EXITED THE ACFT. THIS PUT ME ON MY BACK, FLAT AND STABLE, FLYING INVERTED. IT TOOK ABOUT 8-10 SECONDS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO TO GET IT OVER ON ITS BELLY. BECAUSE IT WAS TRIMMED FULL NOSE DOWN, THE ACFT PITCHED NOSE DOWN AT THIS TIME UNTIL I HAD THE COPLT TRIM THE NOSE UP. AT THIS POINT, THE ACFT WAS FLAT AND FLYING. AT NO TIME DID EITHER THE ENGS OR THE AIRFRAME EXCEED RED LINE LIMITATIONS. AN INSPECTION ON THE GND REVEALED NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT, THEREFORE WE CONTINUED TO FLY LOADS OF PARACHUTE JUMPERS. THE JUMPERS HAD BEEN BRIEFED PREVIOUSLY ABOUT EXIT PROCS, BUT APPARENTLY STILL FAILED TO UNDERSTAND THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT OBSERVING THESE PROCS. THE ATTITUDE OF JUMPERS IN THE PAST HAS BEEN THAT IF THE ACFT STALLS, NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO, IT IS ALWAYS THE PLT'S FAULT. AFTER THE INCIDENT, MOST OF THE JUMPERS ABOARD AND I HAD TIME TO TALK. AFTER VIEWING VIDEOS OF THE INCIDENT, THEY REALIZED WHAT THEY HAD DONE. BUT AT NO TIME LEADING UP TO THE STALL DID THEY KNOW THEY WERE GETTING TOO FAR AFT. THE ACTIONS THAT WE ARE IMMEDIATELY INSTITUTING ARE TO MARK THE FLOOR AND WALLS WITH RED LINES AND PLACARDS TO INFORM THE JUMPERS AS TO HOW FAR AND HOW MANY CAN GO WHERE IN THE ACFT DURING EXIT TIMES. WE ALSO ARE PUTTING A LOAD MASTER ON EACH LOAD WHO STAYS WITH THE ACFT AFTER EXIT OR WHO EXITS LAST. THIS WILL GIVE US SOMEONE IN THE BACK WHO CAN MONITOR THE EXIT AND CTL THE AMOUNT OF WT AND PEOPLE IN THE AFT POS OF THE ACFT. WE ARE ALSO CREATING A HAND- OUT TO BE GIVEN TO EACH JUMPER WHO BOARDS THE ACFT EXPLAINING THE 'DO'S AND DON'TS' DURING THE ENTIRE FLT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.