Buckeye BREEZE N786DS

Summary

On 10 June 2012 at about 13:40 local time, a Buckeye BREEZE registered N786DS was involved in an accident near Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 June 2012 at 13:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Private Strip (N\A)

Coordinates

40.6089, -79.6750

Aircraft

Buckeye BREEZE

Registration

N786DS

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lower Burrell → Lower Burrell

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12CA389

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the powered parachute, which resulted in a collision with trees during final approach. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of flight training.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that the powered parachute had been “pushed” by wind toward the trees throughout the approach. The parachute webbing became caught in the trees, and the undercarriage cart suspended below the parachute fell and impacted the ground on all three wheels. The pilot did not possess a pilot certificate and had received no formalized flight training. He had flown the powered parachute for about 15 hours before the accident. A postaccident examination revealed that the powered parachute sustained substantial damage to the undercarriage cart and that there were no pre-existing mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. A 3-knot crosswind existed during the approach.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.