Buckeye DREAM MACINE UNREG

Summary

On 8 August 2015 at about 23:45 local time, a Buckeye DREAM MACINE registered UNREG, operated by Scott P. Headley, was involved in an accident near Zeeland, Michigan, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 August 2015 at 23:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Zeeland, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Scott P. Headley (None)

Coordinates

42.8125, -86.0186

Aircraft

Buckeye DREAM MACINE

Registration

UNREG

Year built

1997

Engines

1

Operator

Scott P. Headley

Operating rule

Part 103: Ultralight

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Zeeland → Zeeland

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15LA398

1 person was seriously injured.

The noncertificated pilot's impairment due to alcohol consumption, which resulted in his failure to maintain clearance from a tree.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The noncertificated pilot was conducting a personal flight in the powered-parachute. Witnesses reported seeing the powered-parachute in a left bank when it clipped a tree and then impacted terrain in the pilot's back yard. A sheriff's deputy, who interviewed the pilot after the accident, reported that the pilot "smelled heavily [of] intoxicants. His eyes were glassy, his speech slurred, and thick tongued." The pilot reported to the deputy that he had consumed "two beers earlier in the day." A preliminary breath test of the pilot showed that he had a 0.16 percent blood alcohol concentration, which is beyond the regulatory limit for pilots. Therefore, the pilot's impairment led to his inability to safety operate the powered-parachute and his failure to maintain clearance from a tree.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.