NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On June 10, 2011, about 1330 Pacific daylight time, a Buckeye Breeze LX-912 special light sport powered parachute, N300DN, impacted Copco Lake shortly after takeoff from lakeside property near Montague, California. The owner-pilot was seriously injured. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.

According to the pilot, he took off to the south, with no one else on board. Immediately after takeoff, the aircraft started to veer to the left, and the pilot responded by pulling on the right steering line. The flight path corrected, but the aircraft did not "feel right" to the pilot. By that time the aircraft was over the lake, and the pilot began a turn to the right to return for a landing. As the aircraft turned crosswind, at an altitude of about 50 feet above the lake, it pitched up, and fell backwards into the lake. The aircraft sunk to the lake bottom with the pilot strapped into his seat; he eventually freed himself and was rescued by boaters on the lake. The pilot was airlifted to a hospital in Medford, Oregon, for surgery. The aircraft was recovered from the lake bottom by friends of the pilot, shortly after the event.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with single-engine land and instrument airplane ratings. He reported a total flight experience of approximately 1,500 hours, including approximately 100 hours in the accident aircraft make and model.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The aircraft was manufactured in 2005, and purchased new by the pilot. The aircraft had an empty weight of 425 pounds, and was equipped with two seats and a 100hp Rotax engine.

At an unspecified date prior to the accident, the pilot had replaced the steering lines and the bridle. The replacement bridle was a different design from the original bridle; the pilot did not specify the source or manufacturer of that bridle. During a flight after the bridle change, but prior to the accident flight, the new bridle became caught on part of the airframe; the pilot was able to reach back and free the bridle, and avoid a loss of control. Neither the bridle nor the airframe was modified in the period between that event and the accident flight.

A cursory review of several different powered parachute designs revealed that all were similar in design configuration and construction, and that the parachute/airfoil attached to the chassis by cables that affixed to the top of the chassis. All begin their takeoff rolls with the deflated parachute in trail on the ground behind the vehicle; forward speed inflates the parachute, which then rises and translates to a position above the chassis. During that process, the bridle and suspension cables will significantly change their positions and angles relative to the chassis and attach points.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

The pilot reported that the winds about the time of the accident were approximately 5 to 10 knots, with some gusts and turbulence.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The aircraft impacted and sank to the bottom of a lake in about 20 feet of water. After the accident, friends of the pilot recovered the aircraft from the lake. No representatives from either the NTSB or the Federal Aviation Administration examined the aircraft. Damage to the aircraft was not determined. Despite repeated requests, the pilot did not provide any additional documentation, drawings, or post-accident photographs of the aircraft, or any details regarding either the replacement bridle or the structure that it reportedly caught on during the previous event.

NTSB Probable Cause

The unintended capture of the parachute bridle on a portion of the airframe during the takeoff roll, which resulted in a misinflated or misaligned parachute and an in-flight loss of control.