Cessna U206 accident near Butler, Missouri, May 25, 2024
On May 25, 2024 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 1968 Cessna U206, registered N29173, was destroyed in an accident during uncontrolled descent near Butler, Missouri (Butler Meml airport). It was a skydiving flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 6 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The jumper’s unintentional deployment of his emergency parachute and subsequent impact with the airplane’s horizontal stabilizer.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 25, 2024 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Butler, Missouri · Butler Meml · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 6 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206 C, built 1968 · all U206s on the register
- Registration
- N29173 · registry record · serial U206-1140
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Skydiving flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during a skydiving flight, the first jumper scraped his emergency parachute handle while moving toward the jump door. The jumper’s emergency parachute deployed out of the airplane and subsequently drug him into the horizontal stabilizer. The pilot stated that he heard a loud “bang” and focused on maintaining control of the airplane. After the remaining jumpers exited the airplane, the nose of the airplane “dropped straight down.” The pilot was able to release his seat restraints, open a cargo door and exit the airplane. The pilot noticed the airplane’s empennage was bent as it spiraled into a field. The pilot opened his emergency parachute and landed safely with the other jumpers. The first jumper sustained serious injuries. The airplane was destroyed when it impacted a field near the departure airport. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. According to the first jumper, his D-ring style emergency parachute handle (Figure 1) was unknowingly caught on something. While he was positioning himself to the aft door, still unaware of the handle being caught, the ripcord was pulled about 4 inches causing the emergency parachute to deploy and subsequently pulled him into the airplane’s empennage. Figure 1. Emergency parachute deployment handle (circled in red)
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- AC/prop/rotor contact w person during uncontrolled descent defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Empennage structure › Horizontal stabilizer › Damaged/degraded
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Person › Effect on equipment
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Person › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,512 hours in all; 3,028 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: October 20, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,021 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 15, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt And Whitney PT6A-20 (turboprop); 9,140 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 12:55 pm from KLRY, 19 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KLRY 251755Z AUTO 12006KT 10SM CLR 25/12 A2987 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 5 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Airplane wreckage
Photograph 2 – Aerial view of wreckage
Photograph 3 – Reserve parachute with D-Ring handle, circled in redThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on October 22, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation - First Jumper | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N29173 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.