Buckeye DREAM MACHINE accident near Myakka City, Florida, December 21, 2024
On December 21, 2024 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Buckeye DREAM MACHINE (powered parachute), registered UNREG, was involved in an accident during takeoff near Myakka City, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The non-certificated pilot’s improper decision to operate the powered parachute in close proximity to a fence, which resulted in a collision with the fence during takeoff. Also causal was the pilot’s decision to operate the powered parachute without having received any formal training.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 21, 2024 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Myakka City, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Buckeye DREAM MACHINE · all DREAM MACHINEs on the register
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial unknown
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-certificated pilot of the unregistered powered parachute had no formal flight training, but had watched internet videos showing how it was operated. On the day of the accident, he departed from a baseball field and completed an uneventful first solo flight. His second flight was the accident flight. The pilot stated that as he started the takeoff roll for the flight, he realized that he was too close to a fence that surrounded the baseball field but decided to continue the takeoff anyway. As the takeoff continued, the pilot described that there was a gust of wind, and the powered parachute subsequently contacted the fence, seriously injuring the pilot. The powered parachute was not damaged. The pilot did not report that there were any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the powered parachute that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Decision related to condition
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Training › Total instruct/training recvd › Pilot
Pilot
- Flight time: 0 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 6:15 pm from VNC, 23 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KVNC 212315Z AUTO 31009KT 10SM CLR A3015 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on July 3, 2025. 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 | Memorandum for Record A�� Telephone Interview, Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Investigative Photos | PDF, 3 pages | 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 UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA25LA089.