Narrative:

The pilot was flying skydivers in a cessna 182 at an established drop zone located at ray community airport in ray, mi, on oct/fri/03. At the time jump operations were initiated, there was a broken to overcast layer at approximately 6000 ft AGL (approximately 6600 ft MSL). The first skydiving load left the ground at approximately XA30 local time (EDT), and the jumpers were released below the layer at approximately 5500 ft AGL. The jumpers landed without incident, and a normal aircraft descent was made. On the descent, the pilot noted that the broken to overcast layer was thinning and breaking up to the south of the airfield. The pilot landed and briefly shut the aircraft down while the next load was prepared. The pilot departed with the second load at approximately XB10 local time, and a normal climb out was executed to the south of the airfield. While south of the airfield, the pilot noted that the cloud layer had become scattered and executed a VFR climb above the altitude of the layer, which was thinning and moving to the north, but was still present directly over the airfield. As the prevailing winds were southerly, and the exit point for the jumpers was selected to be approximately 3/4 mi south of the airfield. As the aircraft climbed to altitude, the edge of the cloud layer had continued to move north, and the pilot, upon approaching the jump altitude of 10600 ft MSL, determined that the parachute jump could be accomplished at the designated exit location which was by then sufficiently clear of the clouds to assure compliance with far part 105. At this time, however, a thin layer still existed at approximately 6000-7000 ft AGL directly over the airfield. While flying over the airfield, the airport environs and surrounding ground features were clearly visible through breaks in the layers, and the layer was comprised primarily of thin areas through which the ground was visible. The jumpers were released at the designated exit point, south of the layer which was immediately over the airport, at approximately 10600 ft MSL. The pilot witnessed the jumpers in freefall, clear of clouds by sufficient margins, and executed a normal descent to the south of the airfield. The jumpers landed without incident at the designated landing area on the airfield. The pilot also landed uneventfully. At all times, this jump was executed in compliance with far parts 91 and 105. A third skydiving load was picked up, and was taken to 10600 ft in clear conditions. The cloud layer, by this time (approximately XA45 EDT) had completely dissipated over the field. The third load was executed uneventfully, and jumping operations terminated at approximately XA20 EDT. The next day, oct/sat/03, at approximately XA00 EDT, the pilot was approached by a local airport official who indicated that someone had reported to him that jumpers were observed jumping through clouds on oct/fri/03. The pilot discussed the situation with the airport official, who indicated that the wife of one of the local hangar owners was on the field and saw jumpers under canopy, but indicated that she could not see the airplane. She had apparently therefore concluded that the jumpers had jumped through the cloud layer. The pilot explained the cloud situation, as described above, to the airport official who then left without comment. The pilot then attended a meeting of the airport board of directors on oct/mon/03, to discuss certain business items unrelated to this alleged issue. During this meeting, certain individuals insinuated that, even though they had not personally witnessed the alleged violation, they intended to phone the local FSDO to file a report with the FAA. This report is being filed through the ASRS system to assure the situation is properly documented in the event further discussion is warranted.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GND OBSERVERS ALLEGE PLT OF C182 SKYDIVER DROP VEHICLE DISCHARGED PARACHUTISTS OVER AND THROUGH CLOUDS CONTRARY TO FAR 105 PT 29. RPTR DENIES DOING SO.

Narrative: THE PLT WAS FLYING SKYDIVERS IN A CESSNA 182 AT AN ESTABLISHED DROP ZONE LOCATED AT RAY COMMUNITY ARPT IN RAY, MI, ON OCT/FRI/03. AT THE TIME JUMP OPS WERE INITIATED, THERE WAS A BROKEN TO OVCST LAYER AT APPROX 6000 FT AGL (APPROX 6600 FT MSL). THE FIRST SKYDIVING LOAD LEFT THE GND AT APPROX XA30 LCL TIME (EDT), AND THE JUMPERS WERE RELEASED BELOW THE LAYER AT APPROX 5500 FT AGL. THE JUMPERS LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT, AND A NORMAL ACFT DSCNT WAS MADE. ON THE DSCNT, THE PLT NOTED THAT THE BROKEN TO OVCST LAYER WAS THINNING AND BREAKING UP TO THE S OF THE AIRFIELD. THE PLT LANDED AND BRIEFLY SHUT THE ACFT DOWN WHILE THE NEXT LOAD WAS PREPARED. THE PLT DEPARTED WITH THE SECOND LOAD AT APPROX XB10 LCL TIME, AND A NORMAL CLBOUT WAS EXECUTED TO THE S OF THE AIRFIELD. WHILE S OF THE AIRFIELD, THE PLT NOTED THAT THE CLOUD LAYER HAD BECOME SCATTERED AND EXECUTED A VFR CLB ABOVE THE ALT OF THE LAYER, WHICH WAS THINNING AND MOVING TO THE N, BUT WAS STILL PRESENT DIRECTLY OVER THE AIRFIELD. AS THE PREVAILING WINDS WERE SOUTHERLY, AND THE EXIT POINT FOR THE JUMPERS WAS SELECTED TO BE APPROX 3/4 MI S OF THE AIRFIELD. AS THE ACFT CLBED TO ALT, THE EDGE OF THE CLOUD LAYER HAD CONTINUED TO MOVE N, AND THE PLT, UPON APCHING THE JUMP ALT OF 10600 FT MSL, DETERMINED THAT THE PARACHUTE JUMP COULD BE ACCOMPLISHED AT THE DESIGNATED EXIT LOCATION WHICH WAS BY THEN SUFFICIENTLY CLR OF THE CLOUDS TO ASSURE COMPLIANCE WITH FAR PART 105. AT THIS TIME, HOWEVER, A THIN LAYER STILL EXISTED AT APPROX 6000-7000 FT AGL DIRECTLY OVER THE AIRFIELD. WHILE FLYING OVER THE AIRFIELD, THE ARPT ENVIRONS AND SURROUNDING GND FEATURES WERE CLRLY VISIBLE THROUGH BREAKS IN THE LAYERS, AND THE LAYER WAS COMPRISED PRIMARILY OF THIN AREAS THROUGH WHICH THE GND WAS VISIBLE. THE JUMPERS WERE RELEASED AT THE DESIGNATED EXIT POINT, S OF THE LAYER WHICH WAS IMMEDIATELY OVER THE ARPT, AT APPROX 10600 FT MSL. THE PLT WITNESSED THE JUMPERS IN FREEFALL, CLR OF CLOUDS BY SUFFICIENT MARGINS, AND EXECUTED A NORMAL DSCNT TO THE S OF THE AIRFIELD. THE JUMPERS LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT AT THE DESIGNATED LNDG AREA ON THE AIRFIELD. THE PLT ALSO LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. AT ALL TIMES, THIS JUMP WAS EXECUTED IN COMPLIANCE WITH FAR PARTS 91 AND 105. A THIRD SKYDIVING LOAD WAS PICKED UP, AND WAS TAKEN TO 10600 FT IN CLR CONDITIONS. THE CLOUD LAYER, BY THIS TIME (APPROX XA45 EDT) HAD COMPLETELY DISSIPATED OVER THE FIELD. THE THIRD LOAD WAS EXECUTED UNEVENTFULLY, AND JUMPING OPS TERMINATED AT APPROX XA20 EDT. THE NEXT DAY, OCT/SAT/03, AT APPROX XA00 EDT, THE PLT WAS APCHED BY A LCL ARPT OFFICIAL WHO INDICATED THAT SOMEONE HAD RPTED TO HIM THAT JUMPERS WERE OBSERVED JUMPING THROUGH CLOUDS ON OCT/FRI/03. THE PLT DISCUSSED THE SIT WITH THE ARPT OFFICIAL, WHO INDICATED THAT THE WIFE OF ONE OF THE LCL HANGAR OWNERS WAS ON THE FIELD AND SAW JUMPERS UNDER CANOPY, BUT INDICATED THAT SHE COULD NOT SEE THE AIRPLANE. SHE HAD APPARENTLY THEREFORE CONCLUDED THAT THE JUMPERS HAD JUMPED THROUGH THE CLOUD LAYER. THE PLT EXPLAINED THE CLOUD SIT, AS DESCRIBED ABOVE, TO THE ARPT OFFICIAL WHO THEN LEFT WITHOUT COMMENT. THE PLT THEN ATTENDED A MEETING OF THE ARPT BOARD OF DIRECTORS ON OCT/MON/03, TO DISCUSS CERTAIN BUSINESS ITEMS UNRELATED TO THIS ALLEGED ISSUE. DURING THIS MEETING, CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS INSINUATED THAT, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD NOT PERSONALLY WITNESSED THE ALLEGED VIOLATION, THEY INTENDED TO PHONE THE LCL FSDO TO FILE A RPT WITH THE FAA. THIS RPT IS BEING FILED THROUGH THE ASRS SYS TO ASSURE THE SIT IS PROPERLY DOCUMENTED IN THE EVENT FURTHER DISCUSSION IS WARRANTED.

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.