Can you identify this plane crash?

[JohnRich 4]

Let's see if anyone remembers the story behind these photos, attached. Can you identify the type of aircraft, for what drop zone it was flying at the time, why it's all banged up, and what year this happened? This should be a tough one. Some of you will jump on a clue contained in the photos, but that could be misleading for you...

[lodestar 0]

Appears to be the Cessna 196 from Zhills, in that configuration it was past the time I was there.
I've got about 1,000 hours in that aircraft, it's a hauler and climbs like no other.
Just to hazard a guess I'd think the time frame would have been the early 80's maybe during Hooper's time there running the DZ.
When I was flying it, it had a red cowl, red stripe down the side and polished aluminum finish, and I think the tip tanks were still in place.
And, if I had to guess what happened, i'd say a groundloop, one wingtip lunched and the prop bent in that way.

[DBCOOPER 1]

No idea

Replying to: Re: Stall On Jump Run Emergency Procedure? by billvon

If the plane is unrecoverable then exiting is a very very good idea.

[lodestar 0]

Well John, only two hits.....Who what when and where?

[JohnRich 4]

Yep, not much action on this quiz. Lodestar - you're on the correct track.

The "clue" that I mentioned is that rainbow stripe painted on the fuselage. On one side it's in the shape of a "Z", and this is the logo for the old Zephyrhills, Florida drop zone, from the Jim Hooper days. Not the new Z-Hills, but the one that was on the other side of the same airport, where you had to drive across a golf course to get to the drop zone. And that clue was misleading, as I mentioned, because at the time of the crash, the plane no longer belonged to Z-Hills - it had been sold.

This minor crash happened in 1988 at the Air Adventures drop zone in Clewiston, Florida. Bill Jones was running the place and he purchased this C-195 plane from Z-Hills, I believe. It supplemented a Cessna-206 and a piston engine Porter which climbed reaaaally slow. At some point we also had a Beech D-18 there. The C-195 had that huge 450-hp radial engine out front and it climbed FAST! The problem was that the passenger cabin was small - we would put 5 jumpers back there, but it was jammed tight. And the door was small, with no floater step outside, so tight exits weren't easy. The plane was in some kind of "experimental" category, and had previously been used for aerial photography - it had a plexiglass window in the floor for a camera, which could be used as an aid for spotting.

The story: Bill Jones was not flying the plane at the time. I don't recall who the pilot was. The plane ran out of fuel after dropping jumpers, and had to glide back down to the airport for a deadstick landing. The pilot misjudged the approach and landed short of the runway, in the grass. The wheels dug into the soft grass, and it tipped forward onto it's nose. Pilot unhurt.

Damage was a bent prop and cowling, bent wingtips, and I remember the sheet metal of the fuselage being rippled. And with a bent prop, you have to tear the engine down and check the bearings. I believe all the sheet metal was repaired, and the plane eventually being put back into service.

I don't know where it is today... The N-number isn't visible/legible in the photos, so I can't look it up. Drat.

That's the story!

[SkydiveJack 1]

Here are a couple of photos I took at Oshkosh in 2010. The plane has been beautifully restored and still has the big 985 engine. You can see that it has 196 painted on the cowl.

[LtlRichard 0]

The N# is N4395N and it is presently for sale for $199.500.00 It lives at the south Lakeland airport in central Florida. It has not flown jumpers in many years. It has been fully restored as a classic aircraft complete with leather interior and full IFR panel. It was used at Z-Hills from 1968 thru 1984 then sold to a man in Texas who was afraid to fly it, he sold it to Jones after he put three hours of taxi time on it in three years of owning it. Also this is the highest total time 195 airframe in existance with over 17,000 hours on it.

[JohnRich 4]

Jack & Richard: Thanks for those updates on that aircraft. She looks beaufiful! It's nice to know that it's still out there flying!

I always logged those jumps as a C-195, instead of C-196. Was I wrong? What's the difference between the two?

[lodestar 0]

It was actually a Cessna 195, when they installed the P&W 450 in it they wanted to designate that installation and so it was dubbed the "196" to differentiate the two.
There used to be a 196 just in front of the door on the right side.
Thanks for the catch up story on it....it's looking quite beautiful these days not to mention the price tag.

[jackwallace 3]

I thought that 196 in Lakeland was the sister ship (78V) to the Zhills one?

U only make 2 jumps: the first one for some weird reason and the last one that you lived through. The rest are just filler.
scr 316

[LtlRichard 0]

No the 196 in Lakeland is N4395N it was the first of four 196 converted for aerial survey in the 1950's the aerial survey company who owned them was forced to replace them with multi-engine airplanes as a term of thier government contracts in 1968. My dad Bob Porter purchased 95N and made it into our jump ship at Z-hills in the summer of 1968, and it remained at Z-hills until about 1984. 78V used to come to Z-hills when Frank from Rainbow owned it he later sold it and the new owner leased it out to another DZ who totaled it back in the early 80's. The only other surviving 196 is N4383V it was never a jump ship. since I was raised on the airport and DZ in Z-hills I grew up with the 196 and always had a fondness for it. After 95N was sold I missed flying it so much that I decided to make my own 196 conversion. While searching for a suitable airframe to convert I ran across N4383V which was the fourth and the last of the 196's converted. I bought it in 1988 and have owned it ever since.

[JohnRich 4]

Quote

Attachments: 2009_10_10 Cessna 196-9.JPG (33.3 KB)

Beautiful!

[Mountainsky1 0]

There is N2103C as well. Lives close to West Tennesee.

[PROGRESSIVE 0]

Ditto, both planes are Beauuuutiful! I need a hobby!

[PullUpCord 0]

Dang, that's a shame!

[bravoniner 0]

LtlRichard

78V used to come to Z-hills when Frank from Rainbow owned it he later sold it and the new owner leased it out to another DZ who totaled it back in the early 80's.

Made my first two jumps out of '78V at Rainbow in 1969, and then a few more in 1973 when Steve Schimming had it at Waunakee, WI, in bright new yellow paint. Quite a ship, and a real shame it got rolled up in a ball by a later operator.