Pilot ‘jumped before passengers’

An engine fault caused a skydiving plane to cut out mid-air forcing the 13 people on board to parachute to safety over Lake Taupo, a report has found.

The inquiry into the incident released this week also criticised evacuation procedures after the pilot left the aircraft before the last of the skydivers had.

The pilot checked the rear-view mirror but did not see the remaining two people because of their dark jumpsuits blending in with the back of the plane, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) report stated.

Believing the plane was empty, the pilot exited through the cockpit door, the report said.

‘‘The pilot did not follow the operator’s recommended procedure for baling out, which put himself and others at risk of serious injury.’’

The last skydive pair waited until the pilot’s parachute was out of the way before jumping.

The bright pink plane plunged into Lake Taupo, 200 metres from the shore, on January 7, 2015. All 12 parachutists and the pilot landed on the shore without serious injuries.

Skydive Taupo chief executive Roy Clements said the pilot was clear in his mind that all the skydive pairs had jumped.

‘‘The next day, I was the guy who told him there were still people waiting to jump. He was broken – he had no idea there were still people in the plane.’’

The company and investigators looked into ways of stopping the same mistake happening again, if an evacuation was necessary.

‘‘That’s where we raised the idea of getting the back of the plane painted white so skydivers are contrasted against the plane,’’ Clements said.

TAIC said all pilots received further training in emergency procedures.

The report said the plane’s engine fault was caused by a cracked ‘‘compressor turbine blade’’ – a component in its turboprop engine. The failed blade and two others sampled from the set were smaller, in some dimensions, than comparable blades. ‘‘The size discrepancy likely contributed to the fatigue failure,’’ the report said.

As a result of findings, the engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Canada amended their maintenance instructions so this discrepancy is less likely to occur.

Skydive Taupo had properly maintained the engine in accordance with a recognised maintenance plan.