Buckeye Powered Parachutes DREAM MACHINE 582 N50130

Summary

On 25 June 2017 at about 13:06 local time, a Buckeye Powered Parachutes DREAM MACHINE 582 registered N50130 was involved in an accident near Federalsburg, Maryland, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 June 2017 at 13:06

Classification

Accident

Location

Federalsburg, Maryland, United States

Nearest airport

Private (PVT)

Coordinates

38.7117, -75.8306

Aircraft

Buckeye Powered Parachutes DREAM MACHINE 582

Registration

N50130

Year built

1995

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Federalsburg → Federalsburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA17FA211

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during takeoff, which resulted in a collision with power lines. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in powered parachutes.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was making his first solo flight in a powered parachute from his turf airstrip. After liftoff, the pilot added power, and the aircraft climbed to about 35 ft above ground level in a continuous left turn until it collided with power line wires that paralleled the airstrip. Postaccident examination of the airframe and a test run of the engine revealed no evidence of any pre-impact mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot had diabetes and heart disease; however, it is unlikely that these conditions or the treating medications contributed to the accident. Toxicology testing detected two potentially impairing medications, the antidepressant paroxetine and the central nervous system depressant anticonvulsant/anti-tremor medication primidone. The investigation was unable to determine if the effects of the pilot's depression or the medications paroxetine and primidone impaired the pilot's decision making or contributed to the accident. A review of the pilot's logbooks revealed a single entry for an instructional flight of 1.2 hours in a powered parachute, 6 hours of ground instruction on powered parachutes, and no solo endorsement for powered parachutes. The logged ground and flight instruction occurred about 1 year before the accident, so it is likely that the pilot's lack of both recent and total experience in powered parachutes contributed to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.