I’m sure the investigators aren’t taking it at face value either. If his story has holes in it they’ll figure it out.

Just spitballing but it seems to me if there was criminal activity involved the most plausible statement for the living pilot to make would be the deceased went back to view the gear from the jump door and fell.

With one witness, the surviving pilot, there's little else to go on. If the surviving pilot didn't see what happened, then only supporting statements made after the fact provide a trail. The deceased certainly can't be asked, and barring physical forensic evidence (gunshot, for example) that provides a clear path, motivation, causation, and the narrative are largely the domain of the only witness: the surviving pilot.

There have been cases over the years in which people have exited aircraft without a parachute; some years ago a freefall photographer exited wearing his camera gear, but no parachute. It was believed that the tactile association with the gear led to the sense that he wore his jump rig, when in reality he didn't. He died (of course). It is certainly possible to make a series of grave errors which, in the heat of the moment, seem right, but which prove flawed after the fact.

It is hard to fathom how someone who is involved in a jump operation might choose to exit without a parachute; easier to understand how in a perceived rush, one might make the mistake, but easier yet to imagine a case in which someone inadvertently falls out. One can't do that without an open door, and if there's an open door in that aircraft, one should be wearing a parachute. As noted in this thread previously, however, any time one is wearing a parachute, there is a solemn obligation to protect the ripcord/pilot chute the way one protects the trigger of a gun; if any part of that parachute catches the slipstream, there is a high possibility of death for everyone on board, and destruction of the aircraft. If one is moving around in back and attempting to secure something, the parachute might be left until done working (in which case the door should be kept closed). The right circumstance of open door, delayed donning of parachute equipment, etc, and maneuvering of the aircraft might lead to an inadvertent departure. The aircraft flies nose except on a power off descent, and it's very possible in an empty cargo deck area to slide out the back if one isn't holding onto something.

It's hard to imagine what one might be doing to secure a wheel that's fallen off fixed gear. Having experienced that myself, the only action from the cockpit was to observe the matter and fly the airplane accordingly. The notion of climbing outside the aircraft to observe something one can do nothing about, is more hollywood than realism.

Lots of questions. Little to do but wait for answers, with the very real possibility that the truth may never be known.

Occam's razor says the pilot allegedly told the co-pilot to go back and look. After he accidentally fell out, the pilot tried to deflect blame from his poor command decision by making up an alternative story.

Occam wasn't on board. The rest is speculation and guesswork.

Jumping from 3,500' is safer than a gear-up landing, when the jump is done with a parachute.

When it comes to jumping, the higher, the better. Altitude is life. Jumping out at 20', with or without a parachute, won't do a body a hell of a lot of good.

Occam is usually on board. Best to assume he is until proven contrary. Otherwise your tinfoil bill can get pretty steep.

Because that’s what the captain said?

It’s difficult to understand what sort of a problem with the gear he might have thought he was working at the rear ramp.

https://i.ibb.co/F7zM2KT/8-EDD888-A-...306-ACB4-A.jpghttps://ibb.co/

And that door is a long long way from the cockpit. It is difficult to formulate a scenario involving the only other guy in the aircraft. Not impossible, but massively unlikely.

Best not to assume.

That door isn't very far aft, and once you get out of the seat, there's nothing between you and the door. The aircraft flies at a positive deck angle all the time; it's a downhill roll between you and the open door, without anything to grab except a bench seat on the way out. There is a left side door forward of the propeller, but the best view of the gear would be from the ramp, looking forward. One would definitely want to be wearing a harness for that. If the wheel was believed gone, perhaps by ground observation, or other, verification of the extend of damage might be appropriate.

I've had damage before involving other aircraft inspecting my exterior, and I've done the same with other aircraft when they've had damage, so it's not unreasonable, if able to throw on some goggles and look past the edge of the ramp, to do so, but certainly with appropriate precautions. Ideally a harness and tether, or if unable a parachute rig.

It's not far at all if one's off balance or tumbling, to reach that open ramp. Going out the side door is a non-starter. it's very difficult to open in flight, and is directly in front of the propeller.

Best to not make this assumption JB. A thorough investigation involving facts will flesh this out.