Buckeye Powered Parachutes Inc DREAM MACHINE 582 N50130 accident near Federalsburg, Maryland

Probable cause

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.

NTSB analysis

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.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA17FA211 for the full record.