NTSB: Pilot in deadly 2019 skydiving plane crash often did risky maneuvers

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - More than 16 months after a deadly skydiving plane crash at Dillingham Airfield, a National Transportation Safety Board report highlights mechanical problems with the aircraft, as well as concerns about the pilot.

The pilot at the controls of the June 2019 flight, Jerome Renck, reportedly liked giving passengers a ‘thrill ride’ through risky, sharp maneuvers during takeoff.

A former co-worker also told investigators that Renck was informed his flying put excessive stress on the plane while he was employed at the Oahu Parachute Center, but continued, saying the customers didn’t complain.

That was among the information released by the NTSB Wednesday from the official report, though it did not specify a cause for the crash, which killed all 11 people onboard.

Images of the plane prior to the crash show a damaged left wing aileron, which controls banking and rolling.

[Click here to be redirected to the NTSB docket on the crash.]

The aircraft reportedly banked sharply to the left just after takeoff, before crashing into the ground and bursting into flames.

The plane also suffered substantial damage in 2016 to its tail section when a horizontal stabilizer broke off.

The deadly crash sent heartache through the community as Hawaii locals and visitors were among those killed. A memorial on the fence near the crash site quickly grew in the days following.

Oahu Parachute Center reportedly did not have proper permits to conduct skydiving operations at the time.

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