Summary
On August 28, 2012, a Powrachute PEGASUS (N554E) was involved in an incident near Luling, TX. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: Collision with a powerline resulting from the pilot's not maintaining adequate clearance while on a day VFR approach to land.
The sport pilot was making a day VFR approach to land his powered parachute on a friend’s private property. At the very last moment, he saw a power line directly in front of his final approach path. The pilot tried to land short of the power line because he did not have enough altitude to go over the lines. When the airframe (cart) was only a few feet above the ground, the parachute hit the power line. The parachute caught on the power line and the cart swung forward and to the right and hit the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the right underside of the frame. Both the pilot and his passenger exited the cart uninjured. The pilot reported that he had about 50 total flight hours in powered parachute aircraft.
This incident is documented in NTSB report CEN12CA631. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N554E.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
Collision with a powerline resulting from the pilot's not maintaining adequate clearance while on a day VFR approach to land.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
The sport pilot was making a day VFR approach to land his powered parachute on a friend’s private property. At the very last moment, he saw a power line directly in front of his final approach path. The pilot tried to land short of the power line because he did not have enough altitude to go over the lines. When the airframe (cart) was only a few feet above the ground, the parachute hit the power line. The parachute caught on the power line and the cart swung forward and to the right and hit the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the right underside of the frame. Both the pilot and his passenger exited the cart uninjured. The pilot reported that he had about 50 total flight hours in powered parachute aircraft.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CEN12CA631