Powrachute PEGASUS N554E accident near Luling, Texas

Probable cause

Collision with a powerline resulting from the pilot's not maintaining adequate clearance while on a day VFR approach to land.

NTSB 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.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN12CA631 for the full record.