Summary
On July 25, 2015, a Johnny F Anderson BUCKEYE DREAM MACHIN (N371P) was involved in an accident near Trenton, SC. The accident resulted in 1 minor injury, with 1 person uninjured out of 2 aboard. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The non-certificated pilot's inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in a loss of directional control during takeoff, and collision with trees during the subsequent rejected takeoff.
The non-certificated pilot reported that he was conducting a local flight from a grass runway. During the initial climb, the powered parachute started drifting to the right and the pilot was unable maintain control with the foot pedals. The pilot elected to land on the same runway, but during the landing roll, he was unable to stop the powered parachute before it departed the runway and collided with trees. The powered parachute sustained substantial damage to the airframe during the accident sequence. A post-accident inspection by the pilot revealed that a parachute cord was wrapped around the right foot control pedal steering rod nut, impeding its movement.
This accident is documented in NTSB report ERA15CA307. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N371P.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The non-certificated pilot's inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in a loss of directional control during takeoff, and collision with trees during the subsequent rejected takeoff.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
The non-certificated pilot reported that he was conducting a local flight from a grass runway. During the initial climb, the powered parachute started drifting to the right and the pilot was unable maintain control with the foot pedals. The pilot elected to land on the same runway, but during the landing roll, he was unable to stop the powered parachute before it departed the runway and collided with trees. The powered parachute sustained substantial damage to the airframe during the accident sequence. A post-accident inspection by the pilot revealed that a parachute cord was wrapped around the right foot control pedal steering rod nut, impeding its movement. The pilot stated that he must have overlooked this anomaly during his preflight inspection and that there were otherwise no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the powered parachute that would have precluded normal operation.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ERA15CA307