Cessna P206 accident near Goshen, Indiana, May 26, 1996
On May 26, 1996 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna P206, registered N2625X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Goshen, Indiana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the parachute equipment was not properly maintained by the parachutist. A factor related to the accident was the inadvertent deployment of the parachute.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 26, 1996 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Goshen, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P206 · all P206s on the register
- Registration
- N2625X · no longer on the register · serial P206-0125
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a parachute jump activity one of the two parachutists on the airplane's jump step began a cadence used to jump from the step. According to the jumpmaster the parachutist began an exaggerated rocking motion. During this rocking motion his reserve parachute's ripcord pin protective flap brushed against the airplane's open door. The flap opened and the pilot chute deployed, pulling the reserve parachute from its container. As the parachutists jumped a steering line from the deploying parachute struck the airplane's right horizontal stabilizer. The collision caused the stabilizer to bend downward. The jumper whose parachute prematurely deployed said the velcro on the ripcord pin's protective flap was worn. He said the flap would frequently dislodge.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,934 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 7,766 as pilot in command; 2,583 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,037 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 19, 1996; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-A1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GSH at 5:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Observation at 7:50 pm from SBN, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 6 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.