Airframes Unlimited COYOTE N59748

Summary

On 15 November 2009 at about 18:31 local time, a Airframes Unlimited COYOTE registered N59748 was involved in an accident near Indian Trail, North Carolina, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 November 2009 at 18:31

Classification

Accident

Location

Indian Trail, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

35.0764, -80.6092

Aircraft

Airframes Unlimited COYOTE

Registration

N59748

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Monroe → Stallings

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10CA072

2 people were seriously injured.

A loss of engine power due to carburetor icing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Prior to departure, the pilot visually inspected the fuel system of the powered-parachute and verified that the fuel tank was full. He departed from a pasture, flew to a nearby airport to practice a touch-and-go, and then was returning to their departure point. At approximately 1,000 feet above the ground (agl) the pilot noticed he was unable to hold his altitude and maintain airspeed. While in a shallow descent the pilot turned on the electric fuel pump and cycled the throttle. The engine responded to the inputs; however, would not achieve full power. Approximately 700 feet agl the pilot shut-down the engine over a field in which he was preparing to make an emergency landing. He began to perform a shallow S-turn maneuver to decrease his altitude. As he turned to the right the passenger compartment maneuvered outside the veil of the canopy above causing a rapid decrease in altitude; not able to make his selected landing site, the pilot elected to land straight ahead into the trees. The powered-parachute impacted several trees and substantially damaged the metal structure. Review of the carburetor icing probability chart revealed that the temperature and dew point were conducive to carburetor icing at cruise and glide power, the powered-parachute was not equipped with carburetor heat.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.