Bell 206B accident near Cushing, Oklahoma, February 3, 1996
On February 3, 1996 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N2184Z, was involved in an accident near Cushing, Oklahoma. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadvertent deployment of the passenger's parachute as a result of his failure to follow proper procedures and deactivate the automatic opening device on the parachute.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 3, 1996 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Cushing, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2184Z · registry record · serial 3517
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After one of a group of five parachutists decided not to jump from the helicopter, he failed to deactivate a safety device designed to open his reserve parachute at a preset altitude. As the helicopter descended through approximately 1,000 feet AGL, the reserve opened automatically and the parachutist was pulled from the helicopter. The parachute snagged on the skids of the helicopter and did not inflate fully. The parachutist was injured during his subsequent hard landing.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,200 hours in all; 1,750 in this make and model; 5,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,520 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1995; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Corporate Helicopters, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: CUH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 9°F (-13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from TUL, 46 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.