History of Flight
On October 5, 2019, about 1140 mountain daylight time, a Buckeye Industries Breeze powered parachute (PPC), registration N582UT, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Moore, Utah. The pilot was fatally injured. The PPC was being operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
According to witnesses, the pilot had flown to a local landmark known as Sid and Charley Pinnacle with four other PPC pilots. After an uneventful inbound flight, the group landed near the rock outcropping and spent about an hour taking photographs of the panoramic views. The group then prepared for the return flight home. The first two PPC pilots departed normally to the east and circled the departure area at about 200 ft above ground level (agl) and 150 ft agl, respectively, while waiting for the remainder of the group to take off.
One of the two remaining witnesses on the ground reported that the accident pilot departed after a ground roll of about 200 ft in an eastern direction. The accident PPC entered a steep left bank immediately after lifting off. The pilot reported over the group’s radio frequency that he was experiencing a problem, and one of the pilots on the ground advised him to land. The accident PPC made about one and a half revolutions near the departure area and entered a steady descent from about 50 ft agl before impacting the rising face of a 4-ft deep ravine. The PPC came to rest on its right side.
Photographs of the aircraft after the accident, provided by law enforcement, showed that the left steering line was wrapped around the bracket of a light beacon behind the pilot’s seat. According to an instructor and witness to the event, the steering line wrapped around the strobe light would have created a pinch point and prevented the line from moving in either direction.
Aircraft Information
According to one witness, this particular aircraft was equipped with a steering line that connected the right and left pedals to the trailing edges of the right and left wings (parachute).
Examination of a photograph taken by a member of the flying group when the accident aircraft landed at Sid and Charley Pinnacles showed the left steering line at the beacon. In that photograph, the riser was draped over the top of the aircraft, resting on a bracket that held the beacon to a structural tube. According to the instructor, the steering line had enough slack to wrap down around the strobe. As the chute inflated overhead, the steering line would have risen around the beacon and created a pinch point.
Wreckage and Impact Information
An aircraft examination was performed by a certified flight instructor familiar with the functionality of the accident aircraft, with oversight from the Federal Aviation Administration. The examination did not reveal any anomalies with the flight control system. The engine functioned normally when tested.
Additional Information
According to the Federal Aviation Administration Powered Parachute Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-29), the walk-around inspection includes a wing and suspension line inspection. Section 5-12, Wing Inspection, cautions pilots to examine the lines to ensure they flow freely through all guides and pulleys. It advises to pull slack from the steering line so that the steering bars are fully retracted, and to physically separate the steering lines from the suspension lines, pulling them out and away to the outer edge of the wingtips, to visually ensure the steering lines are free from tangling.