The
Powered Parachute Incident Database 1997 Submittals
Return to the Powered Parachute Incident Database,
1998
Contents:
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Incident Reports
Acronyms used in these reports
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Overview:
· The object of this database is to collect
all incidents involving:
· PPCs - Powered Parachutes that use wheels,
carts, or bicycles as a frame
· PPGs - Backpack style Powered Paragliders
· PGs - Paragliders, if the incident may have
applied to a PPC or PPG. I strongly recommend PG incidents
also be reported to the Big Air Paragliding site
· Incidents are defined as:
· Involving any injuries to pilots, passengers,
or spectators
· Resulting in damage to aircraft or property
· "Close Calls" that have a lesson
in them
· Observations regarding safety that others may
benefit from (i.e. "During preflight it occurred
to me...")
· Submitting incidents:
· All information is optional
· If a question of trim (i.e. 'Powered up even
when chute stayed to one side') please include unit
brand, and canopy type. Although it may be unimportant
to this incident, if a trend develops this info may
be useful
· When submitting, please state if you do not
want your email and / or name listed in the report.
It is beneficial for verification, but definitely not
required!
· Please use the Submittal Form at the end of
this page. Again, NOT REQUIRED!
· Report incidents to chatten@erols.com OR send
to "Powered Parachute Incident, 13406 Samhill Cir,
Mt. Airy, MD 21771 USA" DON'T BE SHY!
· Reading incidents:
· All information is unofficial and therefore
suspect
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of the reports
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Incident Reports:
Submitted 12.2.97 by Andy - asap@theonramp.net
Pilots Name: Andy asap@theonramp.net
Pilots Ratings and Endorsements: CFI (single engine
land)
Pilots total airtime: 2000+
Pilots total airtime in this exact type of unit: ~70
Pilots total number of Flights: ~100
Pilots total number of Flights during the last 90 days:
~30
Date of the accident or incident: Aug. 97
Flying site: Small field near home
Nearest town: Cornelius, NC
Description of injuries: None
Description of aircraft damage: Prop & Cage/Guard
- Destroyed
Aircraft make and model: 97 La Mouette ZR-250
Harness make and model: Same
Reserve parachute make and model: None
Brief, objective description of the Accident or Incident:
I was flying (going flying) alone with the exception
of one observer that pulled up. Chute (Pro Designs "Big
Boy" Tandem) was laid out and attached to unit
ready for TO.
Wind was steady 3 to 5. Battery was dead, so I pull
started and the unit was sitting ready to go at idle.
(time to get a good mental picture of this) I am a very
big pilot for this hobby (300lbs) and have developed
my on "technique" of strapping into this thing
to fly. I layed the throttle (whitch I had been having
misc. problems with and is a weak link in this mach.)
on the ground beside the unit so I could get straped
in. I went down on one knee and began to sit down. I
put my right arm through the shoulder harness. As I
was transitioning off my knee to sit, all of my weight
went to my right hand which is now through the harness
- on the ground - ON THE THROTTLE!!. The throttle cable
pulls out of throttle handle under my weight - Machine
goes to full throttle and catches me completely off
balance. Machine is coming foward hard against my right
shoulder and I'm trying to grab the riser bars (where
the risers attach to a La Louette PPG) and gain control.
Meanwhile !!!
The throttle is now under machine, no chance of shutting
it off. Off ballence 300lb man and 150lbs of thrust
now wrestling on ground. 300lb man now realizes his
head will fit neatly through the gap on the 4 piece
fan guard and is about to meet 4 blade prop at 2500rpm.
300lb man now gives up and begins to run with 150lbs
thrust close behind. Man escapes narrowly! But Machine
does not give up.
Full throttle + perfect alignment into 5mph headwind
+ foward motion = wing inflates perfectly and is up!
One of the best take offs I've ever done! (er,, I mean
seen) I'm thinking of jumping in the truck to follow
my investment, when the machine (without the substantial
weight of it's pilot) starts to out-fly the wing @ about
10ft AGL. Wing colapses as machine is now paralell to
the ground in front of it. Wing falls to ground but
machine continues to hover - now drifting slowly toward
300lb man (now 290lb or so subtracting for sweat) and
observer. Machine slowly settled to ground (prop down/first)
and lands nicely in the middle of the kevlar riser lines.
Parts now sound like bullets whizzing past after what
seemed like a small explosion. Wing gets sucked right
up to the wreckage as the lines wrap up into the prop.
Lines were picked from the remains of the prop and
hub with pliers. NOT ONE LINE WAS CUT IN TWO!! Only
one line showed damage to it's sheath. I'm still flying
the wing - it's fine!
(final pilot weight - 280lbs - changed pants!)
Weather conditions: Clear sky, steady 3 to 5 mph wind
How could this accident have been avoided?:
1- 200 lb pilot with the aid of an assistant.
2- Should have replaced throttle long before this.
Provide a Report Review, include any Recommendations
which resulted: Can highly recommend and speak to the
strength of Pro Designs wings and lines!
What would you like other pilots to learn from this
event: "Alone" is never a good idea. My observer
just happened by. If not, and my head had gone into
that prop...well...I don't guess he could have done
anything but explain to the officials. But you get the
idea.
What Action was taken as a result of this event?: New
throttle, New prop, New cage, New underwear, a good
laugh, a good cry, and a great Thanksgiving. I will
be interested in the report Pro Designs give to me when
I send this wing for annual inspection. I'm currious
if any of the lines are stretched. They do not seem
to be based on it's flight characteristics.
Submitted 12.2.97 by Richard
If you are flying in engine out mode (emergency) ,
and you are trying to glide to the only open field within
reach. You definitly want to aviod the downwind turn.
Flying S turns into and at 90 degrees to the wind line
will make judging your landing point much easier.
I had an engine out a few years ago and the final turn
into the field was a 360. I came so close to this one
large oak the squrriels were ducking.
Looking back on that landing I realize that I should
have made wider S turns to keep the plane facing into
the wind for the final approach. The field was about
200 ft X 200 ft.
Why did the engine go out? This was a 503 twin card
with manual chokes. After warmup I left one of the choke
levers in its uppermost detent. I started the plane,
tookoff, and went to full throttle. At full RPM the
engine is able to handle all of the raw fuel being dumped
in by the choke. At 2300 agl I slowed the engine down
and it went into spit and sputter mode.
I was fortunate that I had choices. (read that as altitude)
Rescue and firetrucks were waiting on me when I landed.
Their station was across the street from my LZ. They
heard the plane sputtering all the way down.
Submitted 12.1.97 by Larry
My first flight in my own PPC the winds came up and
there were a lot of thermals. As I tried to land the
wind shifted as I was about 20 feet above the ground
and I was turned downwind. I landed so hard that it
cracked both spring rods.
Looking back on everything, it was all my fault. I
shouldn't have flown so late in the afternoon and I
should have come in much shallower. Seeing dust devils
all over the place should also have given me a clue.
In fact I accidentally flew into one and man, did it
pick me up and sway me around!
Submitted 12.1.97 by Ron
It was the end of a long and wonderful flying day.
I had followed a river and flown beside a group of river
rafters. Then skimming lakes and crops, I spotted a
private airfield and made an impromptu landing and visited
with the owner and re-fueled. Seeing the hot air balloons
I joined them and spent an hour flying circles around
them letting their passengers take photos of me. I re-fueled
again at another field and had logged a little over
7 hours of flight time. I was on final approach to the
ultra-light airpark I had started from. The sun was
setting. The clouds were alight with the sailor's promise
of another delightful day.
I was extremely satisfied with all I had done that
day. I had gotten comfortable and was flying with my
feet crossed over the front wheel and was using my right
hand on the right steering cord. My left arm was resting
on top of the instrument panel. I was 60 feet AGL (above
ground level) over the freeway on final approach to
a perfect landing.
The instrument panel shifted. My left arm came down
and knocked off the mag switches killing the engine.
My fright, fight, or flight adrenaline shot came in.
I had six seconds. My feet came off the nose wheel and
onto the brakes. My hands gripped the throttle and the
nosewheel steering respectively. Choices: I always give
thought to where I would land if my engine quit, I was
not going to make it over the fence, the freeway was
busy, the median, the side between the road and the
fence. I set her down parallel to the road between it
and the fence bringing the chute down 4 feet from the
barbed wire. Jumped out and walked away. Then I noticed
the mag switches and I put it together.
Not wanting to leave the plane there and not looking
forward to a report being made by a citizen with a cellular
phone, I re-started the engine and took off, hopped
over the fence and landed at the airpark.
Submitted 11.21.97 by Jim
I guess its time to come clean. When I first bought
my PPC and didnt go through my trainning yet I did something
real stupid. I was getting anxious to hear the machine
run. I pulled it out of the enclosed trailer, moved
the throttle to 1/2 power ( just like I would my lawn
mower) and pulled the rope. Guess what? It flew up the
ramp of the trailer, shoved the trailer all around the
driveway, hit the corner of my shop, tearing off the
gutters, ripping gashes in the trailer, kept going until
the tongue of the trailer hit my new Dodge Ram and put
a nice dent in the side of the truck before I could
catch up to it and kill the engine. Some tubing on PPC
to be replaced, gutters replaced, truck repaired, had
trailer repaired. The moral of this story to all you
newbies, dont be in a hurry and get that training.
Submitted 11.21.97 by Rick Headlee - jheadle@primenet.com
Here is how I learned to check the throttle position
before I pull the cord. Before I got smart and learned
to do the warm-up on the trailer, I pulled it off and
flipped the switches and grabbed some cord. My Rotax
NEVER before or since fired on the first pull. It ran
up to 4000+RPM and caught me off guard almost knocked
me down. I chased it five or six feet grabbing at the
kill switches trying not to trip and fall. Provided
a good laugh for the 5 people watching. The throttle
cable had gotten pulled out of the adjusting cup on
the top of the carb and was caught on the side of the
adjuster, holding the slide up 1/2" or more. Now,
I check the cable and open and close the throttle and
listen for the slide to clunk before I even flip the
kill switches. Then, plant my feet firmly on the ground
and legs against the CG tube before yanking on the cord.
Not as exciting, entertaining or expensive as Jim's
adventure, but I was lucky.
Submitted 11.24.97 by Rick Headlee - jheadle@primenet.com
Saturday morning, I packed up and headed to my usual
field. Wind was cool and just bearly flicking the sock.
Did the usual (warm up and pack up and preflight and
layout) and took off and headed southwest to look at
the wild horses. GPS reports ground speed 25 mph. Along
the way is the sand and gravel operation that has a
settling pond to clean their wash water that is several
acres large. The ducks use it in transit and quite a
few make it a home. I like to fly around and watch them
scoot around while I try to count them (800-1000). Going
on SW to the big hill sticking up out of the flat desert
800' or so. I get to the SE corner and start getting
blown around a little and just figure its a little rotor
off the hill so I start to climb up and turn around
to the north to try to get over the turbulence and hope
to get a better look for the horses.
At about 500-600 feet I feel a big gust and seem to
stand still. GPS says 9mph, I say I am not moving. Descend
to 30' or less and head NW back to field, GPS 18 MPH.
Wind was not called for in the forecast, OH WELL. At
each power line I have to cross it is very slow when
I get high enough to go over 2X the poles. Get back
to within 3 miles of field and one last line to cross.
Pop up and hovered above the road for 20 seconds no
forward movement at all. I decide it is a good time
to be out of the air. 1/4 MI SE is a flat clear spot
I am now in love with. A right turn south GPS indicates
33MPH in several seconds, how much faster I went I don't
know cause I am now only looking at the ground where
I want to be. Make another turn and get lined up in
the wind and make a very steep descent, kill engines
at 1' agl and as soon as wheels hit I rolled 5' or so
and was grabbing steering line as fast as possible.
I got it down and unbuckled and had to run over and
jump on the chute to get it to flatten out. I am a happy
man, on the ground and no damage.
I start to pack the chute bag and look up to see an
ambulance and 2 paramedics get out. I signal I'm Ok,
I get packed up and push over to meet. Seems someone
at the Bondurant Racing School thought I had crashed
because of my quick landing. I answered all the usual
questions about what it was and how it worked, they
called the fire engine to get more people to lift the
frame over the barb wire fence cause the nearest opening
is 2 miles away through the desert. SO, here we all
are have a good time talking about PPC's and flying
and what not. (The fire capt was a good looking girl)
After about 10 minutes an Indian ranger (female) from
the tribe drives up and wants to see my drivers license.
I comply and answer all her questions and she gives
me a citation for trespassing on their land. It seems
she thinks that I am also trespassing when I am flying
low over their land as well as landing on it. Very nicely
I looked at the commercial jet flying over us at that
time and ask if she was going to cite him as well. Her
reply was "I see what you mean, call this person
for an answer". So I have to go 30 miles south
of here to Tribal Court and answer the citation next
month.
No matter what they decide to fine me, I will consider
it cheap and myself lucky. I and my PPC walked away
with no damage and the tribe did not confiscate my machine
(common practice), the fireman and paramedics were cool
dudes and dudetts. In all, I attracted 1 ambulance,
1 firetruck, 1 supervisors rescue truck, 1 BIA police
car and the Tribes Blazer and did not attract the TV
news crew to be em-bare-assed by the entire valley.
I usually close my "confessions" with a lessons
learned statement. If I did anything wrong connected
with the flying, I don't know what it was - if you do
tell me. The lesson I learned is get the hell out before
the cops show up.
Submitted 11.24.97 by David
Well Guys, I finally did it! I tested the mercury switch
on my PPC and it worked. The wind was kinda funny today,
shoulda stayed home, but I felt I could fly....
Didn't do to good on the takeoff, as the rotors were
rrrreeeal bad and a gust toppled my cart, yeah it did,
stood it straight upside down. I sprained my foot, but
the PPC survived with out narry a scratch. Just broke
the lens of my top mounted strobe.
Is there a demerit badge that I have earned for experience
of a topple or do I go down in the toppler's hall of
flame?
Oh well, I shall get you next time Red Baron......
:-)
David "Flipper" Chapman
Submitted 11.23.97 by Michael G
Pilots Name: Michael G.
Pilots Ratings and Endorsements: BFI
Pilots total airtime: 45
Pilots total airtime in this exact type of unit: 45
What would you like other pilots to learn from this
event:I am writing with a comment about safety and wind
conditions. In reading through these reports it seems
that some people are not respecting the general recommendation
of a 10mph wind limit for powered parachutes. These
craft are very safe by design, but not if flown out
of their intended envelope. Remember that these machines
are very light, and it doesn't take much wind/turbulence
to blow the chute around in some pretty strange ways.
A PPC pilot in our area was killed recently, and flying
in a 14 mph wind was a contributing factor, along with
poor judgement. Let's be safe and have fun, and live
to fly again.
Submitted 11.13.97 by Andrew
Pilots Name: Andrew
Pilots total airtime: 20 hrs.
Pilots total airtime in this exact type of unit: 20
hrs.
Pilots total number of Flights: 15
Pilots total number of Flights during the last 90 days:
10
Date of the accident or incident: September 96
Flying site: Open field near home
Nearest town: Palm Bay, FL
Description of injuries: Nothing to speak of except
a sore butt and bruised ego.
Description of aircraft damage: Frame bent beyond usability,
two quarter-panels of prop cage destroyed, La Mouette
Harness torn severely and Propeller in many pieces.
Aircraft make and model: La Mouette ZR-250
Harness make and model: Paramotor Harness
Brief, objective description of the Accident or Incident:
I'd been flying all afternoon and felt pretty comfortable
with my PPG. Enough so that I had been making passes
over the field at lower and lower heights all day. I
was flying very low, about 6' when I entered a turn
to the left. Upon coming out of the turn, I flew right
into the ground. Hit butt first and the forward momentum
tore the straps that secure the harness to the frame.
Weather conditions: Clear and calm winds.
How could this accident have been avoided?: By maintaining
a safer altitude and not trying to turn at such low
height.
Provide a Report Review, include any Recommendations
which resulted: I think I was lulled by the slow speed
at which our aircraft fly. One moment I was cruising
along just fine and the next I was planted butt first
in the middle of the field with redneck onlookers asking
if I always land like that!
What would you like other pilots to learn from this
event: Always maintain situational awareness. Know how
your aircraft is going to perform and remember that
altitude can be your friend in that it gives you room
to recover.
What Action was taken as a result of this event?: Still
waiting to get my new parts...
Submitted 11.6.97
Aircraft make and model: Sixchuter two seater
Brief, objective description of the Accident or Incident:
We had a problem with prop wash from a powered parachute.
About five powered parachutes were circling the field
making low passes along the runway. As one powered parachute
was making a right turn at the end of the runway and
climbing at full power another powered parachute flew
behind it into the prop wash. The powered parachute
was bouncing all around. It touched one wheel on the
ground and almost hit a motor home near the runway.
The pilot was very experience and still he almost crashed
his aircraft. Weather conditions: Clear light winds
0 - 3 mph
How could this accident have been avoided?: Be very
careful of the prop wash of other powered parachutes.
Keep your distance behind other powered parachutes.
Be aware of your own prop wash when flying with other
powered parachutes.
Submitted 11.8.97 by Brian
The day started as a normal flying day with a little
steady wind. While doing practice touch & gos and
using different degrees of flair found that the machine
would fly standing still.
Start with 15 mph+ steady wind,,then flair to stop
all ground speed, power up or down to land with no forward
speed, like a chopper,,,power back up, release flair,,
go around and do it again.
I did about 10 of these, when all of a sudden the wind
quit, so, there I was, 0 air and ground speed 1/2 throttle
and about 1/2 full flair....50' agl....
First the cart pointed up, way up,, I looked back to
see what the chute was doing,, and saw the ground,,no
chute though,, it was under the cart at that time....Next
thing the cart pointed down,,way down,,now I could see
the ground and chute real good from the front,, and
dropping like a rock....about 40 ' agl now, this all
happened fast,.. saw my life flash before my eyes,,
and gave it full gas,,prob. the hardest thing I've ever
had to do, When pointed straight down, and the ground
coming up fast............
about 15' agl the machine was flying again,,no jerking,,just
a smooth pull out from the fall.,, Now am I going to
do this again ? Not on your life !! But I do know what
might happen on a collapse,, what "saved"
me, thank God,,was the machine fell straight down,,forward
and not off to the side, tangling the lines, or back
ward...
Submitted 11.4.97 by Jerry - JDANIELE@aol.com
Pilots Name: Jerry - JDANIELE@aol.com
Pilots Ratings and Endorsements: Trained by AFI Instructor
Pilots total airtime: 40 hrs.
Pilots total airtime in this exact type of unit: 40hrs.
Pilots total number of Flights: 30
Pilots total number of Flights during the last 90 days:
20
Date of the accident or incident: 10/18/97 @ 0900
Flying site: 1200' x 1200' open field
Nearest town: In Albuquerque proper
Description of injuries: Thank God - none....
Identify any passenger, crew or property injured or
damaged:I experienced a little injury to my pride. There
were a number of children watching from afar and when
duffed it I felt real uncool...
Description of aircraft damage: My machine has 4 props
and 2 props struck the cowling as I fell on my launch
attempt; totally trashing both propellers. Tennessee
Propellers here's my check.
Aircraft make and model: PPG - Paramotor FX2
Harness make and model: Paramotor Harness
Reserve parachute make and model: None
Brief, objective description of the Accident or Incident:
I was set up to launch and my launch crew was holding
back the machine as I throttled up to test the rpm's.
Something didn't sound right and when I backed off I
asked them to check the machine. They noticed nothing
wrong. I proceeded to launch and failed. Glider came
up great and I began to run, but unlike any other previous
launch I felt the near full weight of the machine even
though the glider was over head. I aborted and we checked
the machine again. We set up again and launched this
time I ran further, but wasn't so lucky. I felt the
weight again, but I kept running in the attempt to fly.
Since I wasn't running nearly fast enough the glider
got soft and unruly, I started to shut it down, but
it was too late! I fell to my left and heard that dreaded
noise..cowling eating props. Pieces of props flew everywhere,
one large piece nearly striking my partner. Oops..,but
not funny...Upon deeper investigation I discovered that
I failed to reinstall the coil spring back into the
foam airfilter and when I loaded the engine the filter
was collasping acting as a choke..low rpm's...Duh....
Weather conditions: Sunny, with a light southerly wind
2 - 3 mph, humidity was 28%, and 70 degrees. Launch
Elevation was 5200' ASL.
How could this accident have been avoided?: First rule
don't be in a hurry rushing will get you in trouble
everytime. I was going clean my filter the night before
, but I put it off for manana...I woke up late and scrambled
to clean the filter and that's when I forgot to reinstall
the coil spring... I am glad it only cost me $300....
Provide a Report Review, include any Recommendations
which resulted: I never remove the coil spring when
cleaning my filter...this removes the possibility of
forgetting to put it back where it belongs. It was not
a good feeling to return to my shop with a trashed machine
and seeing the Coil Spring sitting on the workbench...
But, the real culprit was me being in a hurry.....
What would you like other pilots to learn from this
event: Don't be in a hurry and if something isn't right
don't try to fly!!!!! Find the problem before it finds
you...!
What Action was taken as a result of this event?: I
refrain from being in a hrry and I never remove the
coil spring from the filter when I am cleaning the filter,
unless it is absolutley necessary.
Submitted 11.2.97 by Andrew - AndrewTR98@aol.com
Learned this one from experience! Was taking off towards
a 50 ft mango tree and when I got in the lee, it felt
like someone had stopped the elevator between floors.
A busted prop and bent shroud later, I don't plan to
take off within two miles of any trees.
Submitted 10.31.97 by Terry - terrybal@MichianaToday.com
From South Bend Tribune, South Bend In. 10/30/97
EDWARDSBURG MI.--Roy Grove of Granger In. piloted his
motorized parachute plane off a private Mason Rd. airstrip
at 5p.m.Wednesday for what would be one of the last
flights of the season. Only seven minutes later, as
the ultralight glided just a few feet above the water,
the parachutes lines to the plane snagged a utility
line, sending the plane downinto a marsh between Juno
and Painter lakes in Cass County.
Neither Grove,54, nor his student, 42 year-old Joann
Harlow of South Bend, was injured. Grove said FAA regulations
allow pilots to fly the planes at any altitudes over
lakes and up to half an hour before dusk.
"I checked this all out to make sure I wasn't violating
any regulation, and unbeknownst to me, there was a wire
between the island and the lake." Grove said. "
The lines weren't visable, I couldn't even see the poles.
The minute we hit it, I thought what are we going to
do?"
Grove, a multi-engine commercial pilot, said he was
flying the plane 26mph and only a few feet off the water,
and so the plane did not fall far. Grove said the plane
landed in about a foot of water and received less than
$500 damage. Cass County Sheriff deputies said alcohol
was not a factor in the crash. Information about the
crash will be forwarded to the FAA, police said.
Submitted 10.28.97 by Anonymous
I have discovered that it is possible to injure yourself
in these machines if you are not vigilant. It seems
that you get lulled into a false sense of security quickly
because of the benign nature of how things happen in
flight with a PP. My big wake up call happened later
in the morning when I turned downwind at about 100 ft.
altitude into a 15-20 mph wind. It was exhilarating,
but I started accelerating and going down while being
swung to the outside all at once. I of course laid on
the opposite rudder and added power to compensate, but
I can see where a new pilot would have not reacted quick
enough to arrest the descending turn in time. This would
be bad.
Submitted 10.22.97 by Joe Albanese - cardoc@paraski.com
Important pre-flight check, watch for loose plugs in
the exhaust manifold holes where the EGT plugs in. The
plugs are there when the machine is not equipped with
an EGT. Two days ago one plug on my machine worked loose
and went through the prop. Result, one damaged blade
and a hole through the gravel gaurd. Another reminder
why you should NEVER have anybody standing beside or
behind the prop even when they are many feet away.
Submitted 10.13.97 by Chuck Lee
Pilots Name: Chuck Lee
Pilots Ratings and Endorsements: BFI to come
Pilots total airtime: 73
Pilots total airtime in this exact type of unit: 73
Pilots total number of Flights: undetermend
Pilots total number of Flights during the last 90 days:
6
Date of the accident or incident: 10/10/97
Flying site: Bartz Field
Nearest town: Crawfordsville, IN.
Description of injuries: No Injury to pilot or aircraft
Identify any passenger, crew or property injured or
damaged: Corn Damaged
Description of aircraft damage: Skye-Ryder single seat
P/P No Damage to aircraft
Aircraft make and model: Skye-Ryder single seat 503
S/C
Harness make and model: No Harness--Lap belt used
Reserve parachute make and model: None
Brief, objective description of the Accident or Incident:
Engine shut-down at about 30 ft. altitude above corn
field. Pilot went down in corn field with dead engine
and did not sustain any injury to himself or the aircraft.
Real tough to pull out of corn field. NO FUN The carb.
cable came loose from slide allowing the needle to fall
into main jet shutting off fuel flow to engine.
Weather conditions: Clear evening, winds at 0-3 mph.
How could this accident have been avoided?: By checking
your carb. needle and throttle cable every 10 hrs. of
flying time.
Provide a Report Review, include any Recommendations
which resulted: Check your owners manual on the carb.
and follow all recommendations provided by the factory.
What would you like other pilots to learn from this
event: Check your Carb. needle "E" clip every
10 hrs. to insure safe operation.
What Action was taken as a result of this event?: The
cable was checked for ware and the "E" clip
was tightened on the needle and Carb. was reassembled.
The engine ran perfect after that.
Submitted 10.9.97 by Carlos - chatten@erols.com
So, last night I tested my new steering system, and
was going to measure my "Level Flight RPM"
for the list, and if time allowed do some low low &
steady flying at 3 to 6 feet to give some input to QOD
116, but lo & behold 6 minutes into the flight the
right side engine blew out again. This time, the compression
plug is GONE. I am VERY dissapointed in myself for not
improving the manufacturers safety tie of this part.
Since this was blow out #7, i knew it was a problem,
and had intended to add a secondary safety tie to it
(see upcoming web page on subject), BUT since engine
blowouts #1 through 6 held onto the plug, I got lazy
and accepted the status quo. Lesson: Never accept questionable
hardware, even if it is new from the factory and designed
like that. If you can see a possible failure mode, it
is your duty to fix it.
Submitted 10.10.97 by Don Stutts - maryst@neweracoop.com
On 10-04-97 I and 4 other PPC owners were participating
in the EAA fly-in at Spinks Airport near Burleson Texas.
We all took off at dawn and were flying our assigned
pattern. The wind had been a problem the previous afternoon,
delaying any PPC flights until the last half hour of
light. When we took off on 10-04-97 the wind was 7 mph
from the south. We all flew for about 20 minutes encountering
moderate turbulence at the sw corner of our pattern
where we had to make our turn near two very long hangers.
We were all at different altitudes ranging from our
limit of 500'agl down to the 150'agl that I was flying.
The incident occured when I approached the sw corner
of our pattern. I was a full 100 feet south of the buildings
and 150' agl when I fed in throttle and began my left
hand turn. In an instant I was pulled directly over
the buildings and in another instant I was falling like
a stone towards the ground. I went to full throttle
and it made no difference in my sink rate. About 10
feet off the ground I flared like my life depended on
it. It must have helped because after bouncing about
2 feet off the ground I realized that I was alive !
After a carefull inspection of myself (no injuries),
and my craft (flat left tire,bent tubes) I thanked God
for his goodness and packed my canopy.
Only one of the other pilots saw the incident. He was
at 400' agl and very close to me in the pattern. He
said that he saw my ppc drawn sideways toward the buildings
and then pushed to the ground. Rapidly !
I will stay a long way from anything that can cause
mechanical turbulence from now on.
further clarification:
I was upwind as I approached the buildings
I don't know if I was sucked over the buildings or blown
over them.
I landed on the west side of the buildings which ran
north and south.
Prevailing wind was southerly.
Submitted 9.29.97 by Joe
This summer I was visiting a friend... I looked @ his
lane way and thought - Yep, I can do this ... So ...
We took off down a winding rd.. Obviously - we had to
lift off before the first turn...
The problem wasn't until the way back... To land there
I had to come back (opposite of take off) since there
was a house to contend with...we couldn't drop in time
to catch the road... So we had to head towards it...
It was one of those "were committed" landings...
You know, where you reach the point of no return
Well.. what I didn't take into consideration was the
this was now an uphill landing... (10 -15 deg).. So
you're actually climbing.. Coming in a little faster...
I managed to grease the small part of driveway that
was straight.. and, as planed, ran up the hill towards
the house (about 30 deg)... PERFECT... The chute fell
PERFECT... THEN........ We started to roll backwards....
Right over the chute picking up some lines and snapping
them....
I debated jumping over the nose and grabbing the wheel
- but I didn't want to panic my passenger... Plus I
didn't think we'd roll that far back... Brakes would
have been nice..
So... Store this one in the DON'T do that category!
Submitted 9.17.97 by Ed Hammett
OK, I pulled a real dumb stunt. Had my 17 year old
son with me (great flight, saw catfish in the river,
dear in the bean fields, ect.) air had got a little
squirreley (hot & bumpy) . Made downwind leg of
landing pattern (descending) turned left 90 degrees
still descending then made another 90 degree turn into
the wind to land.
Like about 15 feet being to the alfalfa patch that
we are using for landing have my spot picked out ( trying
to look cool for all the other pilots and folks) and
am about 2 ft agl and the wind just dies. I'm fixing
to land in the beans so I hit the gas (hard), don't
want to over shoot my spot landing so I get off the
gas (real quick). End results - trike swing out and
up ( from the burst of throttle) , stops at about 5
ft agl (from the complete lack of throttle) and starts
swinging back rather rapidly (close to 360 pounds of
people on it) and then stops real quick upon contact
with the alfalfa field. Doesn't roll an inch.
Big cloud of dust, broke both axles, bottom tube of
fan ring, bent right motor mount, son say 'Great job
of landing Dad!' and the whole crowd sees me make a
fool of myself!!!
Could have applied the throttle smoothly picked up
a little then landed a little further down with no problem,
just went brain dead. So what can I say? (parts now
on order)
Submitted 9.14.97 by Todd via FlyDealer
This was forwarded to me from some Houston Texas powered
parachute pilots who use paraglider wings on their trike
version powered paragliders.
First of all I must inform the group that these pilots
use oversized wings (IE: tandem size) which are the
easiest to inflate sometimes and can be dragged across
the ground for some distance. Second of all it is easy
to have the canopy over fly you on landing when you
are super light under the canopy. However all the details
are not clear as to the exact cause of this incident,
but one thing is for sure, and that is that the pilot
is alright. If you have questions about this incident
please feel free to ask. I would hate for anyone to
take this report the wrong way and feel that the foot
launch version of this sport is any more dangerous than
the trike.
********************
He's ok...thought I'd start with a positive remark.
Bob was flying Saturday night, conditions were perfect.
As he reached about 3 times tree top height, the canopy
suddenly jerked violently and began
to spin. Bob pumped the brakes and used the throttle
attempting to stop the spin. The wing had caved in the
center, forming a "V" like shape. He continued
to spin and drop at a very reasonable speed until he
got to about telephone pole height...
then the canopy folded up and he dropped to the ground.
Witnesses said he bounced about 4-5 feet in the air.
The propeller was still spinning and ate the lines until
it killed the motor. Lines had to be cut to be released.
Bob had the wind knocked out of him, but was otherwise
fine. His back and neck got sore that night and he checked
out ok at the Doctor's the next day.
He credits the "Trike structure" as absorbing
the shock and saving his life. Everything on the trike
bent as needed to bear the brunt of the impact. He said
if he would have been foot launching it would have been
over. Major damage would have occurred without the safety
of the extra aluminum, wheels, support canes etc. that
caused the "bounce" he described.
Upon examination of the canopy, there turned out to
be a 3-4 foot rip on the inner layer of fabric. The
rip did not penetrate through the canopy, just the inner
cell wall about two cells over from the center. This
tear along a seam, seemingly allowed the canopy to fold
in the middle like a "V" and as Bob attempted
to clear it by pumping the brakes. The witness described
it as the brakes being held. This may have caused the
wing to "Stall" at about the telephone height
causing it to drop rapidly.
In talking to an expert, he indicated that to cause
a glider to break at that point would be possibly a
slam into the ground on a prior launch. Slamming into
the ground upside down on practice attempts places explosive
pressure on a cell wall perhaps weakening it. This may
have aided in the ripping on the seam.
Thankfully Bob is Alright, but his unit is now for
sale. Two wings as well. I am ordering my reserve today.
Take it easy!
Todd
Submitted 9.12.97 by Anon
This incident is reportedly on video. Stay tuned to
this channel for web movie file!
PPC-Pilot, 6 hours experience--no training--back yard
party (his wife was hired to tether her balloon and
give rides), several people are aware of PPC-Pilot's
new machine--talk him into going home to get it--he
did.
Scene: Three back yards in a row, one medium size tree
each, NOT in line.
Action:
PPC-Pilot starts up, inflates chute, begins taxi...
decides there's not enough room for take off in this
direction...
makes U turn!!! while taxing in close quarters...
naturally, chute begins oscillating...
abort? Hell no--WIDE OPEN!!!
lifts off with chute way to the right...
naturally, machine turns to the right...
George, George...watch out for that tree!!
Chute gets caught in tree...
stops machine dead in mid air...
engine's still at full throttle...
just like a tether ball, starts flying around tree...
eventually, after several trips around tree, runs out
of suspension line..
BANG!!!! Tree Trunk!!!!
PPC-Pilot shaken but uninjured...
machine has two cracked tubes...
chute removed from tree..NO, I said NO damage whatsoever!!!!
gets replacement tubes...
doesn't look right to him... drives to Indiana (Buck
Fact)
They trade a NEW airframe for his...and charge him nothing!!!
Didn't charge him the $1500 franchise fee either. Some
luck!!
Submitted 9.12.97 by Carlos
This is from the Paragliding list serve. I feel this
is one of the most important differences between PPC
(wheeled powered Parachure with seat) and PPGs (powered
paragliders you hang from). [big grin]
"I heard of a real silly accident at Porterville
: guy on fligh 200 decided to take off clothes. Took
off all xcept the undies. His mates thought the undies
should come off too. Took them off, took off, but had
forgotten to do up the leg straps again. Realised this
and aborted the flight into rocks etc. Bit scratched
but OK - very lucky! Nice way to cellebrate your 200th
flight eh ?"
Submitted 9.12.97 by Cougar - blue@nuc.net
This was reported in the Walton Sun newspaper:
The Walton county beach patrol responded to a call
in the Rosemary Beach area Aug. 29th when the pilot
of an ultralight aircraft made an emergency landing
in the water.
The pilot was flying a paraglider [ Carlos says - it's
really a PPC since it's got wheels ], a type of ultralight
that uses a parachute-like canopy as a wing. The aircraft
was flying out of Panama City on the way to Fort Walton
Beach when it began to lose power. The pilot set the
aircraft down about 800 feet from shore in approximately
26 feet of water. Deputies Tom cooper and Bob Rice received
the call at 10:30am that the small aircraft was down
in the water near sand Cliffs subdivision between Rosemary
Beach and Seacrest. Although the exact area has very
little beach access capable of accommodating vehicle
traffic,the patrol was at the scene by 10:49.
"The pilot was already on shore by the time we
got there," Cooper said. Rice took the pilot out
to the site the aircraft had gone in the water on one
of the beach patrols personal water craft. The pilot
then dove down to the craft and tied a line to the front
wheel so Rice could tow it back to shore. This was the
second downed aircraft call the patrol has responded
to since their inception last June, according to Cooper.
The first being a full-size private plane that went
into the water earlier in the season.The pilot ( of
the ultralight) was wearing a buyancy compensator that
inflated as soon as he hit the water cooper said.That
was lucky for him. If he had hit his head or got tangled
in the harness,he could have drowned.
Submitted 9.9.97 by Alan Huband
It was blustery. 8 gusting 12.
We laid out the chute, preflighted the cart and rigging
and chute. Upon running up the engine, the chute started
to lift. I loosely wrapped the control lines to the
Tee bars. I have done this all over 100 time before.
Everything was normal.
The last 30 seconds of the run up was at around 4000
rpm (at the present time a tack is an accessory, we
don't have accessories). Apparently, the starboard wire
running rigging contacted the prop. How? I do not know.
Our procedures did not vary from the other times we
prepared for flight.
What caused it? Pilot error. The pilot (me) setup the
conditions for this to happen. What bothers me is, I
do not know how it happened so I can avoid that specific
set of conditions.
Ken and I have decided to lash the running rigging
to the cart upon run up. This adds one more item to
the check list and one more item to remove just prior
to flight. We are discussing Velcro straps permanently
attached to the cart.
Photos courtsy of Michael Weinstein, Woodbridge, Va.
Submitted 9.6.97 by Lee Hunt - SoloFlight@orlinter.com
I made my own fan guard braces a few years ago after
a prop strike due to a gust of wind suddenly pulling
the cables across the fan guard laterally and forcing
it into the prop, causing the strike. I simply cut the
damaged tubing into the proper lengths to fit between
the engine mounting bracket and the ring of the fan
guard, added a channel bracket to each end whrere there
were already bolts, and voilla'! That sucker is so strong
there's no way in God's creation it'll budge. I give
it a firm shake every time during preflight and it's
just as stiff as a 2 X 4. Never had the same problem
since. The secret is in the curved piece that I used
on each side. If anyone has a problem with weak fan
guards, let me know. I'll be glad to send you a picture
and details on how to fix it absolutely free. It'll
cost you one fan guard tube, 2 channel brackets, and
about 30 minutes of time at the most. A total of about
10 dollars for parts. That's a guess. I'm too lazy right
now to get the book.
Regards,
Lee Hunt
Solo Flight Powered Parachutes Inc.
"Who's Up Next?"
1-407-957-5185
1-800-84-FLY-ME
1-407-957-1383 FAX
Submitted 8.29.97 by Lee Hunt - SoloFlight@orlinter.com
In the for what it's worth department:
After I finished flying this evening around Disney
and stopped by the local Bungy jump hangout to talk
to a fellow PPC friend of mine, I was approached by
a fellow who was admiring my machine. He told me an
interesting story about a friend of his an Arizona who
was a long time flier and who was also killed by flying
deep into some canyon and getting tossed around by some
major wind currents. He was flying a powered parachute
at the time.I pressed him for more details but he had
little more to offer.
-----------------
Clyde Poser - cposer@EARTHLINK.NET
Flying in a canyon in arizona in a PPC is about the
poorest bit of judgement I have heard on this list.
Flying in a canyon in any aircraft is dumb.
Submitted 8.27.97 by Richard - ULTRAFOOT@aol.com
A friend of mine recently rolled his Six-Chuter while
attempting to takeoff. We were at the local airport
and we were flying off the paved runway. (The grass
was too tall)
To make a long story short, He should have shut the
plane off as soon as he felt one of the back wheels
leave the ground. He did not. He thought he could "catch
it" by going to full power and steering away from
the high side. It didn't work. The plane rolled onto
it's right side. The Ivo exploded as it sliced through
most of the fan gaurd and its support arms.
Thank God, Rob was wearing his helmet. The pavement
dug deep into the shell of his Ultra Pro 2000. When
the plane tipped Rob put his hand down to try to keep
his head of the pavement. He was not wearing gloves.
He still can't shake hands, major case of road rash.
If he had not been wearing a helmet he might not be
here today. (I also gave him a pair of leather gloves.)
Rob is a high time pilot and a BFI. He soon will be
joining the ranks of the converted as he plans on buying
a Buckeye in the near future.
PLEASE, ALWAYS wear a helmet.
------------------------------------------
(Dave Hunt FlyKobra@aol.com responds)
A friend of mine recently rolled his Six-Chuter while
attempting to takeoff. .......The plane rolled onto
it's right side. The Ivo exploded as.........
The wall in our facility is full of old IVOs off of
six chuters. That is why we sell lateral bracing after
maret kits to keep that from happening. 45.00 dollars
is alot cheaper than 350.00 for a new prop.
Dave Hunt, Kobra Powered Parachutes
1 800 54-CHUTE , 1 (407) 242-7789 fax
http://www.FlyKobra.com
Submitted 8.26.97 by Carlos
Although this incident happened to an unpowered paraglider
student, I'm including it here because many Powered
Paraglider pilots 'practice' inflations and ground handling.
Lesson: ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET when your harness is connected
and be prepared to handle any sudden gusts.
The event took place during the introductory two hours
of instruction which was taking place on a soccer field.
The class had moved to an area north of the training
hill after sprinklers were turned on by municipal workers.
The students were being shown an opened Paraglider and
were being given the opportunity to inflate it to see
the proper layout of the glider and lines as well as
to get a feel for the aircraft.
This was a ground handling exercise and in no way should
be interpreted as an attempt at launch. At no point
leading up to the event, nor after it, were there any
thermals. The victim was inflating the canopy, when
an unexpected thermal came through and lifted the student
about 6' off the ground. A second gust came through,
which lifted the student up to about 15' AGL and then
carried the student about 30' to the side and out of
site of the witnesses where the student impacted the
ground. The student pilot, which was NOT wearing a helmet
at the time of the accident, later died of head injuries.
This accident is still under investigation. I will
post more data when it becomes publicly available.
Submitted 8.26.97 by Scott Cunnyngham sc@paraventure.com
Just this past weekend I attended a Fly In on Saturday
in Kissimmee. There was a father/son team (the father
is a dealer) flying without a helmet. We had an interesting
conversation about why I felt he should wear a helmet
and why he felt he should not. We both finally agreed
to disagree. Sunday morning, another person rolled his
craft on take off. He was not wearing a helmet and suffered
several cuts to his head which required stitches. As
of yesterday, he was still in the hospital. I do not
allow anyone to fly at our facility without a helmet.
James T Crawford - Paraflight@aol.com - copied from
the ParaFlight web page 8/12/97
What Accidents Have You Heard About?
My intent in creating this domain is to share all the
information I can about the sport. Following are all
the powered parachuting accidents I am aware of. As
a disclaimer I must point out I did not witness any
of these accidents, and do not go into depth in trying
to verify these stories. I find each story has a clear
lesson to be found in the pilot error. I share this
information in hopes that we can all learn from them
and not make the same mistakes.
Death In A Home Built
I was told there was a recent death (in 1995 I believe)
which resulted from using improper materials in home
engineered and constructed unit. Apparently the person
designed and built an aircraft from the ground up. Unfortunately
the chute attachment did not include the physical redundancy
you always find in all units built by the major manufacturers.
The fatality resulted from a pair of sub standard connectors
pulling apart during flying stress which pulled the
cart free of the parachute at around a thousand feet
of altitude. The cart (airframe) did a free fall to
earth killing the pilot (who was flying solo).
I've also heard about a person using garage door hardware
(including wire) which failed while flying.
Death In A Modified Buckeye
The details on the second death I heard about happened
in a modified Buckeye. Apparently the pilot had removed
the factory wing and installed a different one that
was not factory approved. As I hear it the pilot was
flying in heavy turbulance (flew into a dust devil)
and flipped the cart180 degrees (airframe above the
wing). The airframe fell through the wing and crashed
into a pile of concrete and reinforcement rod. The pilot
was killed upon impact.
Mid Air Collision
I heard this one happened in Montana. Apparently a new
dealer took a local news reporter for a ride and managed
to fly straight into another powered parachute coming
from the opposite direction. The airframe of one aircraft
flew directly into the parachute of the other. The chute
folded up causing the pilot and reporter to fall approximately
30 feet to the ground. I understand the pilot had minor
injuries but the reporter suffered severe back and leg
injuries.
Two Strikes and You're Out
I got this one first person from the pilot in the accident.
I was at the ultralight airport I fly out of and noticed
a guy with a cast on his right leg. I asked him what
happened and he told me that he was trying to take off
out of his front yard. His parachute caught on a telephone
pole, the aircraft whipped around the pole and crashed
into his tractor and giving him a broken leg. The same
pilot told me of an earlier time when he was flying
low over Lake Lavon (in Texas). He found himself thinking
"I wonder what would happen if I touched the water
with my back wheels?" He reduced throttle and got
a swift answer to his question. When the back wheels
touched they caused drag which pulled the front end
down. The next thing he knew, he was 30 feet deep in
the lake buckled into his powered parachute surrounded
by shroud lines and canopy while sinking like a stone.
It cost him over a thousand dollars but he still got
lucky (because he was able to tell me the story).
The Train Was A Pain
Two different people wrote me to tell of a pilot who
was killed while flying low and photographing a moving
train. As I understand it the pilot flew too close and
a gust of wind blew the powered parachute into the path
of the oncoming train resulting in instand death of
the pilot.
[ editors note: I think this was a case of the "Burnolli
Effect" (sp!) i.e. he got 'sucked' into the train
by the rushing air. (Burnolli Effect is what make your
(some) computers' hard drive reading head 'float' just
microns above the platter). Just liek when a big semi-truck
passes you close on the highway - your car gets sucked
over.
Rick Headlee writes:
The Dept of Transportation (I believe) did a study of
the air patterns around trucks at highway speeds. I
read it in a bicycle magazine years ago. As I remember,
there is an initial pressure pushing away from the truck
at the front for a few feet and then 30' back of the
high pressure is a low pressure area that can suck you
in. I think I remember this repeats itself down the
length of the truck with decreasing intensity. The same
should apply to trains. ]
Suicide Note
I also heard (again from two sources) that one pilot
was killed upon landing on high voltage power lines.
The death was ruled a suicide becasue the pilot was
carrying a suicide note explaining the plan to land
on the wires.
Tall Grass
I once posted a message in the ultralight use net group
asking for stories of powered parachute injuries. One
response described an instance where a pilot was trying
to take off running up hill on a golf course. Before
reaching airspeed the aircraft ran out of fareway and
ran into tall grass in the rough. The pilot turned sharply
and flipped the aircraft. As the airframe rolled the
propeller (three blade composite prop) struck the ground
and shattered. Pieces of the blade struck someone (I
don't recall if it was the pilot or a spectator) causing
severe arm injuries which required a trip to the hospital
and stitches.
Conclusion
That's it. A summary of all the injuries I am aware
of. I actually find comfort in this list for two reasons.
First, in all of these accidents I find the pilots doing
something any BFI would tell you to avoid. "Always
be aware of other aircraft, don't modify an aircraft
unless you are a qualified engineer, know where the
obstructions are on the ground, have a shut down point
when you are doing your take off run, etc. The second
reason I find comfort in this list is because it is
so small. I am in contact with hundreds and hundreds
of powered parachute pilots and I hear plenty of flying
stories. Injuries are rare. Deaths are almost unheard
of. I still believe I can make this sport as safe as
I want to.
anon - submitted 8/7/97
I had a water landing with my pm2 after 1 of my engines
quit. I was flying about 100ft from the shore and 10ft
off the water (I do it all the time never had a complaint)
but when I went to climb out I lost a engine. My first
thought was head for shore but the docks kept me from
getting to the shallow waters. I remembered to release
my safety belt, but didn't have time to remove shoulder
harness.
But my mistake was leaving my other engine wide open
so I nosed over when I hit the water. So at first I
didn't know which way was up? I think I should of killed
engine and flared so I would dropped in at less of a
angle. Luckly water was only 6ft deep. Only thing that
happened was ppc and I got wet. I still fly small lakes,
but stay off the rivers now...hate to think about landing
in something with a current.
[ editors note: see PPC Emergency Water Landing Procedures
for further discussion ]
Alan Huband - ahuband@adatery.com - submitted 8/5/97
Actual incident that I witnessed.
A certain friend of mine, requested additional training
from a BFI after not flying his PPC for a year. He arrived
at the patch with winds, in my estimation, 15 gusting
25 mph. The BFI, after scientifically throwing wet grass
in the air to attain the exact ground wind speed, deemed
conditions favorable to asking for the check (er...
favorable for flying).
The student mounted the craft, powered up, and after
a long roll of 5-10 feet was airborne. I witnessed my
first reversed PPC launch. Clawing at the air, the tiny
craft finally gained positive ground speed. The student,
following the radio commands of the BFI, flew the pattern.
On the down wind turn, he lost about 150 of his 200'
agl. before regaining his altitude. I was sweating on
this February day. The trees were at about 40 agl. From
my view point, the ten feet or so looked like mere inches.
On the up wind leg, the plane went into a hover. Gaining
and loosing ground at the whim of the wind goddess.
By this time the BFI was shouting, power up, power up
into the mic. From the look on his face, there were
clearly many places he would rather be. It was clear
to me that the plane was at full power.
The plane started a decent, mostly at a hover, jerking
forward and falling off. I would say, if I did not know
the inexperience of the pilot, that it was the most
brilliantly executed landing I ever did see. That little
craft touched down with zero ground speed as light as
a feather then promptly laid down on its prop. The wind
drug it backwards about 30 feet before the chute collapsed.
No damage to craft or pilot, however, the BFI looked
green to me.
On the way home, my friend said the BFI kept telling
him to apply more power. My friend also said he eventually
cut the radio off so he could think clearly. He reasoned
that the only way to land was to cut power until he
started a gradual decent. It worked.
When I witnessed this, I had yet to fly. What I learned
was-----KNOW THE CONDITIONS before you fly. If you have
to guess at the air speed, get a wind meter (sailing
stores, $15, ultra light catalogs for about twice the
price, same product), or at the very least, have the
grass calibrated prior to each take off.
I have been flying for 2 years now. Better than 75
hours. I also train people on a single place PPC. We
never let them off the ground if the wind is more than
7 mph by guestimate (can somebody lend me $15). Also,
I will not allow a student in the air with any noticeable
gust.
Alan Huband - ahuband@adatery.com - submitted 8/5/97
A Powered Parachute can and will stall. I know from
personal experience. Albeit, it takes supreme pilot
inexperience to perform such feats.
How to stall a PPC. (This actually happened to me on
my first solo flight while my BFI gave me instructions)
1) Attain zero air speed. Best done by finding a suitable
eddie that will spin the craft.
2) Apply full power and dont let off. (thats what the
instructor told me to do, from the safety of the ground)
3) Hit the ground and dont forget to roll the airframe.
4) Order new parts and wait for months to fly again.
PPC are nearly stall proof. Please publish this to
the list so the inexperienced can read it.
-------------
Carlos writes: Alan, sounds like you were pretty low
to the ground when the 'stall' hit. Any guesses? Anything
more then 40 feet the chute should have recovered...i
think. Any real BFIs out there wanna comment on this?
Also, next time be sure to land on the 'bfi' (lowercase
intentional) to pad the impact. 2 birds with 1 torsian
bar. something like that.
-------------
Close to 2000'. The stall was created by applying full
power and holding it. This kept the plane pointing upward,
trying to climb, not gaining airspeed.
Like I said, it take an inordinate amount of ignorance
combined with supreme inexperience to maintain a stall.
I know, I did it.
Brian - BLee4044@aol.com
[ on flairing both sides of chute and throttling up
at same time ]
sh##t don't do both at the same time except at landing
to use as a flair. Then if u change your mind on landing
add power and slowwwly release pressure on rudders,
other wise u'll drop like a rock.
I had a full stall on a chute one day doing "chopprs"
wind 10 to 15 add power and flair at the same time come
down like a chopper touch down, go back up and down
u get the idea. The problem starts when the wind stops,
u r at 1/2 gas and full flaired at 50' or so, oops..
That chute blew below the cart, all the way under the
cart inside out looking some thing like a kleenex in
the wind, lucky the cart did''t fall through the chute
on the way down. It was really hard to add full power
when falling straight down and didn't have much time
to think either. Any way to make a long story short
DON'T. Don"t DON'T EVER use a full flair in the
air.
ps. a chute will recover in less than 50' but I will
never try to prove it again......
Brian - BLee4044@aol.com
About the guy that flew down the power lines, (true
story here)
1, flying new good machine, '95 skye rider, 503, 500'
chute with bells & whistles
2, new pilot -20 hr
3, take off from small field with trees all around +
power lines on one side.
4, " I was circling to gain alt., looked around,
looked back to find himself landing on power lines.
Just like a train on the wires. Both wheels over each
power line, chute still flying fine, to scared to add
the power (and get shocked) by this time there were
sparks every where, at last the chute picked him off
the wires, all was ok, machine running good, chute in
one piece and flying again....right between two trees,
and another, and another, and straight into the last
tallest tree. Took two days to get machine out.
The guy flys today and loves it.....
Brian - BLee4044@aol.com
"bfi" took off w/pass.
1, hot day
2, the grass grew a little more in the field
3, could have aborted 2 or 3 times but thought "it
will make it, it always has"
4, hundreds of $$$ on new power lines, + called on the
carpet by FAA
5, no one injured but didn't make friends that day or
help the sport
Rick H.
I have been told of one guy who flew into a wire (assume
power line). His chute collapsed over the wire and then
spooled back off lowering him down until the chute was
off the wire. He then fell (unknown) feet and damaged
the gear. The chute was otherwise unhurt and the pilot
was not seriously hurt.
Gary - gfdarnel@tricon.net
Recently I was flying my 582 Rotax Buckeye Powered
Parachute at about 500 feet when all of a sudden the
engine totally quit. I just so happen to have a field
to land in and made a smooth dead stick landing. Upon
examination I found that one of my carburetors had fallen
off. It had come out of the rubber boot which holds
it to the engine. As good luck will have it, it was
still hanging by the fuel lines. After about 10 minutes
and some more good luck I was back in the air.
I had been over many places that day where if this
had occurred, I would not have had a place to land.
This just proved to me the value of pre-flight and periodic
checkouts.
I have a well documented log book. The engine had 131
hours on it at time of incident. The one thing that
I am concerned about is how tight is tight when tightening
the hose clamps that hold the carburetors on?
I am a now a real believer in keeping an adequate altitude
to make it to a good emergency landing site.
Teri, Parascender Technologies Inc. - para@iag.net
We've heard a few stories from pilots who landed hard
enough to actually break the fiberglass rod in half.
In one particular case, the rod was likely split already
and not caught at preflight. When this one was landed
normally, it not only broke off, but threw the wheel
and rod into the prop.
Hearing stories like that is why we switched to the
nearly unbreakable E-glass leaf springs we use now.
Carlos
This is from the Ultralight Pages' Cautionary Tales
page. Informative reading for all.
http://www.cs.fredonia.edu/~stei0302/WWW/ULTRA/CT/f_1996.html
March, 1996
Where:Mercedes, Texas USA
When: March 22, 1996
What: Buckeye 2-place
Injuries: 1 fatal
How: Pilot was flying a Buckeye 2-place over a live
stock show promoting his chiropractic business when
according to a witness his engine began to run roughly
and at about 100 feet he performed a sharp turn and
the chute collapsed and did not recover.
------------------------------------------
Carlos asks:
My question is: just how was the trim set on the steering
lines? 'sharp turn', in an old ParaPlane at least, is
still very gentle, in NO WAY DANGEROUS!!! How could
this have possibly collapsed the chute, unless the lines
/ angle is not set up correctly to begin with??
There are no names listed as a matter of privacy, so
I'm not sure if we can track down more info on this...perhaps
one of you Buckeye dealers could contact the factory
and ask strongly???
------------------------------------------
Carlos, the information I have on this incident is second
hand but from very reliable sources including a distant
related party.
The craft had been involved in a line entanglement
sometime prior to this flight. Several suspension lines
had been cut by the prop and were "tied" back
together by hand.
Whether or not the doctor was involved in the earlier
incident with the entanglement is not clear. What is
clear though is that he either did not preflight the
craft before this fatal flight or he did preflight and
did not recognize the danger in flying the craft with
the line damage. The cause of the accident was from
the failure of the suspension lines.
Please note that he was also in violation of the far's
by promoting his practice "commercial use".
In all fairness to Buckeye "which I do not represent",
this accident should in no way be considered a fault
in their product. The cause of this accident was clearly
pilot error in the ultimate way.
Gary F. Darnell - gfdarnel@tricon.net
Plug came loose on my Buckeye and I could not shut
off engine. Used primer to choke it to death. Really!
Could have resulted in damaged chute lines but I got
lucky.
ULTRAFOOT@aol.com
Line socks help. A friend of mine, a low time PPC pilot
was warming his 582 when one side of his lines got into
the prop. Damage done: 1 prop blade totaled. One line
sock ripped. No damage to the lines on his Quantum wing.
I saw a guy 'red-neck' a buckey full tilt down the
runway trying to inflate. He wouldn't let up to give
the wing a chance to kite. One side inflated, which
drove the closed side into the ground resulting in a
high speed ground loop...cut lines, etc.
Carlos - chatten@erols.com
THIS MAY NOT BE A PPC!!!! We don't know yet!
What leads me to believe it is a PPC: the name "PANAPLANE",
and the 1.5 hours instruction What leads me to believe
it is NOT a PPC: ?
NTSB Identification: NYC84FU003 For details, refer
to NTSB microfiche number 25387A
Accident occurred FEB-19-84 at PEPPERELL, MA
Aircraft: PANAPLANE PAPPILLON, registration: NONE
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
THE AIRMAN TOOK OFF ON HIS FIRST SOLO FLT AFTER ONE
AND ONE HALF HOURS OF GROUND INSTRUCTION AND NO FLT
INSTRUCTION. THE FLT PROCEEDED AFTER A NORMAL TAKEOFF
TO TURN LEFT AT ABOUT 50 FT AGL TO AVOID A HANGER. AFTER
A PRECISE 90 DEGREE TURN, THE ACFT CONTINUED TOWARD
THE RIVER AND SOME TREES. NO MORE TURNS WERE MADE TO
STAY WITHIN THE ARPT BOUNDARY AND THE VEHICLE CONTACTED
THE TREES BORDERING THE RIVER. THE VEHICLE FELL INTO
THE WATER AND THE PLT DROWNED IN THE WRECKAGE. THERE
WERE NO PLT CERTIFICATES OR RECORDED FLT TIME LOCATED
FOR THE INDIVIDUAL.
Probable Cause
Proper climb rate..Not maintained..Pilot in command
Flight controls..Improper use of..Pilot in command
Throttle/power control..Improper use of..Pilot in command
Contributing Factors
Terrain condition..Tree(s)
Carlos - chatten@erols.com
THIS MAY NOT BE A PPC!!!! We don't know yet!
What leads me to believe it is a PPC: the name "PARA-SAIL
GLIDER", even though it later states "heard
addition of power" What leads me to believe it
is NOT a PPC: the "A" in "A wing hit
the tree"
NTSB Identification: CHI83FU004 For details, refer
to NTSB microfiche number 21931A
Accident occurred JUN-12-83 at BATTLE CREEK, WI
Aircraft: PARA-SAIL GLIDER, registration: NONE
Injuries: 1 Serious.
THE ULTRALIGHT VEHICLE WAS OBSERVED FLYING LOW OVER
A GOLF COURSE. AS IT APPROACHED A TALL TREE, WITNESSES
HEARD THE ADDITION OF POWER. HOWEVER, A WING HIT THE
TREE & THE ULTRALIGHT SPIRALED DOWN & IMPACTED
THE GROUND. THE PLT DID NOT POSSESS AN FAA PLT RATING.
Probable Cause
Proper altitude..Not maintained..Pilot in command
Clearance..Not maintained..Pilot in command
Contributing Factors
Low pass..Performed..Pilot in command
Object..Tree(s)
Date: Sat, 21 Jun 1997 20:06:07 -0700 (MST)
From: jheadle@primenet.com (Judy & Rick Headlee
)
Subject: Re: International Harvester (long)
I took off in my Six Chuter PP at about 6:30 AM and
headed west behind South Mountain and flew to the other
end. Had a slight tail wind and zipped right along,
skirted around the village and turned around to come
back and look for the wild horses I saw 39 last week.
I flew down close to the ground to watch the workers
irrigate the fields. Along the canal road practiced
several T&G's, everything was picture perfect.
Then I saw the wheat field. Ok, it was not one of the
smarter ideas I have had. Cruising across the field
of wheat ( I love the smell) at a couple of feet. But,
I probably have more time at 10 feet or less than 500
or more so no big deal. I guess a small change in the
wind allowed me to desend a bit lower than I really
wanted to be so I open the throttle and figure on climbing
out and going on home. The next thing you know, I am
seperating the wheat from the chaff. The delay in the
503 coming in to its power band put me low enough to
have the IVO whacking at the crop. I hope that the drag
from the threshing action was the reason it would not
rev past about 5000. Anyhow as I could not lift above
the wheat and gain airspeed, I slowed down and made
a wonderful landing across the field, hitting a few
furrows before coming to a stop at wide open throttle
and 4500 rpm.
I really did laugh out loud at how utterly stupid a
thing I had just done. I packed up the chute and looked
over the machine. I could not believe how much damage
wheat can do to the glass tips on an ivo. Turned the
trike around and was preparing to push it about 300
yards across the field to the road. It is about 90 some
degrees and the wheat was dry, about ready to harvest,
a drink of water would be nice so I look for the bottle
I always carry and it was gone, bounced out I presume.
OK, so I start to push and it goes nowhere, so I start
to pull it across the field by grasping the front forks
and pulling backwards trying not to hurt my back. (I
ruptured a disk when I lifted the engine in to the airframe
last year during assembly and the surgery delayed flight
by two months) I go a few feet at a time taking steps
backward before have to restart as the wheels catch
on something hidden by the wheat. After about 100 feet
I decide I should call for help, so when I get to the
road I can get a ride back to my truck and trailer.
I look for the cell phone I keep under the seat "Just
in case", it has gone with the water bottle. My
wallet is there with my keys so at least when they find
my body they will know who I was. I go and retrace my
threshing across the field and after a while begin to
wonder which I want to find more, the water or the phone.
The black strap of the phone case was the only reason
I found it, forget the bottle. I call my brother and
tell him about where I am and he gets on his way.
Back to pulling, every 50 feet or so I stop and rest.
I remember the extra pull cord I keep with the tools
and tie it around me and the front fork and make much
better time as I can turn and pull facing forward. Somewhere
across the field during a rest, I notice slack in the
steering cables and discover that the front forks have
been bent back and the front wheel doesn't rotate. No
wonder I can't push it. I get to the edge of the field
and there is a small canal I can't possible push, pull
or coax the "combine" across. The big canal
across the road has water no one should ever drink.
Call my brother on his cell and we try to locate better
where I am and where he is. I go collapse in the shade
of the "combine" and recover enough from heat
stroke symptoms to start walking down the road. It took
several more calls, some horn blowing and 1/2 hour of
walking before he finds the road I am on. He didn't
even bring lite beer.
Together we pull the airframe across the canal and
onto the road. Maybe it was pride that made me want
to fly it back, rather than load it into his truck.
Perhaps its better it would not start, but now I'm wondering
maybe I had an engine problem that caused my first attempts
at farming.
Damage done:
I will have to get the prop repaired, replaced, or cut
off the damaged tips and dial in some pitch.
Bent front fork, it will straighten.
Wheat everywhere, It is possible that wheat dust clogged
the airfilter and caused problems.
Several bushels of wheat destroyed.
Lessons learned:
I am a roofer, not a farmer. (Some of you may say not
a pilot either) If it is important to you, fasten it
in with velcro. Altitude is indeed your friend and Airspeed
your Savior If you don't have a reliable way to communicate,
tell someone where you are going. It would have been
much better to wait for help to get the airframe across
the field, my back is killing me. Never, ever fly over
a cornfield or any other crop without enough altitude
to clear it.
The CFI that trained me to fly, told me that sooner
or later I would screw up a prop, bend some tube or
crack a glass gear strut. Naw, I'm to careful for that.
Can't wait to get it fixed and go again, a little bit
higher.
Hope you enjoy the story.
Rick (I will never look at shredded wheat the same again)
Headlee
Phil Dietro gotafly@ix.netcom.com
Pilot was taking off, had an extreme right turn, almost
took out some bushes, got up, continued to turn, and
at about 100', stalled, and dropped straight down, bounced
about 10' back up, and then landed, still upright. The
airframe of the PSE-2 looked like a swayback horse,
ready for the glue factory. He was sore, but none the
worse for wear. The suspension design did what it was
designed to do, absorb and disapate the shock away from
the pilot as much as possible, softening the hit on
the pilot himself. [this is 1 I saw] The only thing
that any of us could think of was a line was over the
top of the canopy, causing the turn on the ground, and
the stall was caused [ using the S.W.A.G. method to
determine this] when the pilot input a left turn. I
have personally had this phenononom happen to me on
the ground, but I aborted the minute I saw what was
happening.
Phil Dietro gotafly@ix.netcom.com
[I only saw the result of this] pilot was attempting
takeoff in gusty wind conditions, and was advised by
AFI Stu not to fly, but pilot felt he could handle it,
so who are we to stop him. We tried. As he was starting
his takeoff roll, his chute would not stablize, due
to the winds. Pilot felt that more power was the answer,
[and he had lots, a dual carb 503] so he poured the
coals to it, and from Stu's description, when it let
loose, it was like it was on a catapult, ground speed
[estimate only] 40mph, and it rolled, a couple of times.
Sheared the upper support cables, made a stubby out
of a warp drive prop, tore the chute, bent the prop
guards, and upper support running to the prop guards,
blew both carbs off the engine, bent the nose wheel
too. $2200.00 later, the plane was like new. Pilot was
shook up, but OK. Stu expected him to be dead, based
on the impact he saw.
Phil Dietro gotafly@ix.netcom.com
Pilot was doing some low flying, in moderate wind,
direction changed as pilot was starting a turn or something,
and when pilot felt he was not in control, he went to
full power, 30-50' up, drove the nose straight in, and
did 3 end over rolls. The force of the impact was so
hard that it sheared the frame off in front of the seat,
bent everything. Pilot remained strapped in, with 4
point harness holding him securely in place. Plane was
totaled, Pilot sore for a few days. The open air design
of the cross arms, keeping the pilot from hitting from
the side, and the overall strength of the square channel
airframe, is what I feel made the difference, along
with the strength designed in under the seat, with double
2" square channel 7129 T5 aluminum airframe. This
is a material that no other manfacturer, to my knowledge,
uses. It is extruded, and Paraplane has bought this
in large quanities, and has it stockpiled. It is much
stronger, and therfore able to be lighter, yet maintain
strength. [something like 3000lbs per sq. inch.] It
allows the PM-2 / Wind Dancer model airframe to handle
hard landings with no apparent suspension, and the PSE-2
has a suspension at the rear of the airframe, that is
very effective in absorbing and disapating impact. Without
this T5, The other 2 would have been much worse in damage
to the plane, and who can speculate on pilot damage.
This is something I hope no pilot ever has to experience.
The only thing that I think could have avoided this,
or lessened the severity of it would have been not to
go to full power, and to use flareing. The pilot had
already input full flare, at full power and the power
did not help, it hurt. The next day, Chuck duplicated
the manuever that caused the crash, but did not crash,
instead, it was just flying as usual. We fly in some
severe conditions, and have learned to deal with them,
and we practice low low turning, and control, in order
to be able to handle things like this when they occur.
The pilot was overflying his skill, and should not have
been attempting to do what he did.
As far as how the pilot would have faired in another
brand, is only speculation on my part, and I do not
want to try to duplicate these in any PPC. [ouch] But
from what I know & have seen in my travels, IMO,
The Paraplane is very overbuilt, as these 3 can attest
to, which gives the pilot added safety margin, in the
event it is needed. Heres a little FYI; These are the
PPC flown at Walt Disney World in their daylight fireworks
show, surprise in the skies, in the early '90s. As I
always say, if Goofy can fly a Paraplane, then anyone
can.
Inland Paraflite, Inc. http://www.paraplane.com
USA Western Regional Dealer for Paraplane Powered Parachutes.
3 of the 4 top finishers at the 96 KIMO Nationals, including
the N.A.P.P.F. Champion flew Paraplane Powered Parachutes.
It's Time You Found Out Why!
Basic Flight Training through the Premier "Top
Gun" Course.
mailto:gotafly@ix.netcom.com
Phil Dietro gotafly@ix.netcom.com
These were not "training" incidents. All
3 were "journeyman" pilots.
They knew what they were doing, at least they said so
B4 the crash.
We have [fortunately,] NEVER had any mishap with a
student. We did have a scare one thanksgiving weekend
though, [95] student was flying along, doing great,
[chuck was flying student] I was at the right side of
my truck looking for something, when I heard the engine
shut off.
I looked up, saw him coming toward me, thought, I don't
like this, but chuck, being cool under pressure, had
the student do a left turn onto the open field area,
and the student did a perfect soft engine out landing.
No bounce at all, a grease job landing. Come to find
out, the student managed to get his pinky finger under
the safety, and hit the kill switches. he took off again,
and had a great flight. This was a solo flight in a
PSE-2 paraplane.
Phil Dietro gotafly@ix.netcom.com
#2. he poured the coals to it, and when it let loose,
ground speed [estimate only] 40mph,
what let loose? the chute? (how else could he get ~40mph?)
The chute was causing the cart not to roll, and, it
finally allowed forward motion, and at high [full???]
power, lurched forward, then rolled.
#3. The force of the impact was so hard that it sheared
the frame off in front of the seat, the overall strength
of the square channel airframe, double 2"square
channel 7129 T5 aluminum airframe. This is a material
that no other manfacturer, to my knowledge, uses.
if the fancy frame is so doggon strong, why did it
"shear off" in front?
The plane drove into the ground, at full power, dug
in, and did 3 end over rolls. We have dents in the dry
lakebed where it impacted.
It was an EXTREMELY HARD HIT, at a radical nose down
angle.
He was flying, 30-50' AGL, combo of turn, wind direction
change, and pilot's lack of knowledge under these flying
conditions, and his control inputs contributed to this
event. It happened so fast, that I saw the final resting
of what was left of the plane. Chuck saw the look on
his face just before he went in [ you know, that oooooh
sh_t look] I was up field securing another plane, and
working with an instructor in training.
Jack Dunn - jd1@digisys.net
Date: Saturday, May 10, 1997 4:02 PM
Greetings fellow ppc'ers! (etc!) I have been out of
town for 3 days at the Montana annual state EMS Symposium.
(my day job is emergency nursing)
Imagine my supprise, when one of the vascular surgeons,
in his discussion on extreamity injuries, flashes on
the 12x18 foot screen, a color slide of a Six-Chuter
in a low-altitude fly-by!!!
(jack quickly checks his name-tag to make sure he is
at the right seminar!)
Sure nuff! The surgeon goes on to use this incident
as his primary example of how to loose your arm without
really trying...
An incident i'd never even heard of - and i thot i'd
done pretty thorough research! - seems this happened
in "northern Wyoming, a couple of yrs ago"...(he
was not very forthcoming with specifics - which is entirely
appropriate in a medical, protection-of-privacy issue,
but very frustrating 4 us flyers!)
The story went... "Some guy stuck his wife in
his Paraglider (sic!) for the FIRST time, then had her
fly around him so he could take pictures. In the process,
she managed to get into a mid-air collision with another
paraglider, resulting in both machines falling aprox.
80 ft to the ground."
The rest of the story involved the details of her injuries
(bad right humeral head fracture, right femur fracture,
small intra-craneal hemorrhage, some other minor injuries);
and the many delays in her medical care (very rural,
several transfers, difficulty of treating an occlusive
vascular injury in the presence of a suspected head
injury, etc, etc).
end result was - she lost her right arm, amputated
above the elbow (follow-up photo showed her about a
yr later, prosthetic in place, doing well... apparantly
she is (& was) a teacher of handicapped children)
the lesson was: her arm could have been saved, with
prompt & correct intervention - but not to fault
local ems, these services simply were not available...
and besides, they were all more worried about the other
guy, who eventually proved to have less severe injuries.
the effect was: as you can imagine - the nurse i was
with who was beginning to show some interest in ppc's,
has suffered an immediate & complete reversal of
any such interest! (Yikes! - i hope word dosen't spread!)
Makes one (me anyway) feel like standing up and shouting:
"JUST BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE DO REALLY CARELESS, STUPID,
TRAGIC THINGS, DOSEN'T MEAN THAT ...."
oh well - its too late already... damage is done...
so - any of u folks out there heard of this one? (its
true ppl, i saw the pictures! - the details may need
correcton...) and - does anyone know of a repository
of such information? [i have heard of one probable cardiac
arrest in flight; and one incident where an instructor
reportedly made an emergency landing on a sand bar,
then drowned while trying to swim to shore... neither
of which i consider the fault of the ppc!, and also
some injury incidents like hitting a power-line, or
catching a tree-top, same conclusion - some ppl r going
2 do dumb things, cant blame the vehicle!]
so - this was just sort of a fyi post, as well as a
whose-got-the-info? post...
4 what its worth
skyjack
Carlos - chatten@erols.com
Hey Carlos, I looked at that landing pic you sent out.
How early on in your flight career was that, and I hope
it was an energency. That grass looked a bit tall. How
did you & the PM-1 fare?
he he he.....yea, flight number...5, was it?
That was the time I was doing LOW turns, and the landing
strip had a dirt road cut out of it, about 5 feet down.
So of course, on a turn you lose altitude, and accellerating
at the last minute is, well, MORE BAD JUDGEMENT. So,
the front wheel caught the dirt road lip (must have
been by just an inch), and Cartwheelin' Carlos makes
his debut.
The venerable PM1 goes end-over, with pilot safely
strapped in. Front wheel bent, one prop splintered upon
repeated contact with mother earth, one fiberglass fishing
pole broken. Pilot untouched.
[ This PG incident included to encorage PPG pilots
to practice their PLF landings ]
From: Penguin (Gerald Myers) [SMTP:penguin@humboldt.net]
Sent: Friday, June 27, 1997 2:46 AM
To: Hang Gliding List; BAPA Mail List
Subject: Penguin's Accident at Hat Creek - Penguin's
Version
I was gonna download all the other reports first to
see what others have to say, but can't get the connection
set up through the hospital board to outside line to
credit card number to ISP which is a long distance call
from here. The morphoine may not be helping here, either,
so I'm just gonna whale away and post it later.
[ snip - prelude of personal get-togethers ]
As the students took their second flights, I prepped
for my flight by relectuantly pulling out my new Sup-Air
back protector. My old back protector for my Sky Angel
harness was a carry-over from my AT Tracer harness -
a thinish fiberglass/foam shell that finally cracked
and broke at the sharp curve arround the lumbar/coccyx.
The Sup Air replacement I had just purchased was a very
nice, thick foam piece with a thin fiberglass outer
for puncture resistance. It was two inches thick at
the top, but widened out to 4-5 inches in the curve
around the spin, before tapering down to two inches
at the bottom. Very nice, but too thick for my harness
-- I found out during the glass off flight I could barely
get into the seat, and couldn't really get skootched
down into the harness as I flew. So, for the first time
in 200 plus flights, I flew without a back protector,
though I had a camelback and my carry bag stuffed in
the back pocket of my harness, and still had my seat
plate.
Murphey's Law of Paragliding.....
I launched about 1030, after all the students had an
uneventful flight to the LZ. There were some bumps out
there that gave me an extended sled run, but after 20
minutes I found myself out of it and set up for the
LZ. I know the PG LZ at Hat can turn nasty, but as I
lined up, directly with the flag and headed for bullseye,
the flag was still showing NW and steady. A little high,
I put in ears to lower the flight path, dropped down
a bit to under 100 feet, still lined up perfect with
the windsock and target, pumped out the right ear, fed
in a little right brake to hold the heading, and pumped
out the left ear.
When things go to hell, they go to hell in a hurry.
At this point, events will probably be related differently
by different observers, but my take on what went down
goes like so: Just as the left ear came out, I got whacked
on the left side, swung/occilated hard left, and found
myself swung out away from the wing facing more or less
straight down at about 50 feet. I distinctly remember
thinking: "Damn, I'm too low for the reserve."
I braked hard right, then let up half way, with the
idea of stopping the turn/occilation, getting back under
the wing, and doing a PLF, even if it meant a stall.
The next clear memory was laying on my left side telling
someone to keep me on my side to use my weight to splint
the ribs on that side, which seemed to be broken in
the back around T-5 to T-10 or so. There was a problem
with my right leg, as well. The three minutes or so
betwen those two memories is gone, but it appears from
what I heard later and nature of my injuries that I
stalled about 50 feet up and did a pretty good PLF --
Right hip dislocated and four to six ribs broken on
left side four inches lateral from the spine. I hit
near where Mud Man pounded in two years ago, but instead
of mud, I had low brush and hard-packed, dried out dirt.
That is more or less the facts of the accident from
my point of view. It was obviously dumb to not have
proper back protection, but in my defense, it was the
first time in over 200 flights I had flown without it.
;-)
It was obviously the wrong place at the wrong time to
hit the LZ just as it started cooking off after a mellow
morning, but I should have enough experience to handle
that kind of low-level turbulence - done it before.
Having less than three hours on a performance wing didn't
help, with more time I would have probably been able
to bring the wing under control -- as it was, experenced
observers figured I only need 50 more feet and I'd of
been OK -- but running out of luck and altitude often
goes together. If I'd kept the ears in, I'd probably
been OK, and If I'd been flying my old wing I'd probably
been OK.
But I wasen't and I ain't.
No blame to the wing, the weather, or the LZ. A bit
of bad timing, new wing, and pilot error has resulted
in a bent Penguin. Could be worse. The next post is
about pain and friendship.
Penguin
[ a response ]
From "Mark S. Dale" msd1389@aw101.iasl.ca.boeing.com
Penguin,
As a fellow penguin and PG pilot, I was saddened to
hear of your accident. You might remember meeting me
at the Super Clinic several years ago (I'm from Seattle
and also have the flying alias "penguin").
Thanks for posting your analysis of the event. I had
a similar thing happen at Owens Valley five years ago,
but fortunately I had a lot of altitude and the wing
didn't stall. A "cannonball" thermal hit the
right side of my wing, forcing me into an extreme wingover
(at least a 90 degree bank angle!). This happened, literally,
in a matter of 1-2 seconds. No time to react whatsoever.
If I had been close to the ground, well, I don't want
to think about it! I recovered without incident, but
shaken.
Do you think the PLF is what prevented you from any
spinal injury? I suspect it did, and should reinforce
we PG pilots' need to train more in this area. In my
opinion, broken ribs, dislocated hips, or whatever are
a better alternative to spinal damage.
I wish you a speedy recovery!
Clyde Poser
I attended the EAA fly in at Arlington, WA this last
week. Their was one minor incident with a PPC. According
to the pilot, he was flying a machine that had recently
had adjustments to the steering lines made. The chute
was a bit unstable because he thought the steering lines
were too tight there by putting it in a turn condition
without any pressure on the steering bars. There was
a 5-10 mph wind, about 10 degrees off runway centerline.
He started take off and the chute was occilating. He
observed it to the left of center and made a slight
steering correction to center it. The next time he looked
up it was over head and so he applied take off power
to lift off. Unfortunately the chute was in the process
of occilating the other direction and at full power
the chute was to far to the right causing immediate
upset as the landing gear cleared the ground. The trike
rolled completely over and basically destroyed itself,
the prop disintgrated and cut the left suspension cables
and the fan shroud was destroyed. Happily both the instructor
and student were uninjured, attesting to the safety
of modern PPC construction. The student continued to
comment on the sturctural integrity of the cockpit in
preventing injury.
What can we learn from this?
1. There is always risk in any fun activity.
2. Take your time on take off and MAKE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN
your chute is STABLE overhead before continuing the
takeoff.
3. Make sure your chute is rigged properly.
4. Always make sure your harness is tight and you wear
your safety gear.
One other thing, don't ask me any details like manufacturer
or names of occupants. These are not germain to the
lesson.
David T
I saw the exact same thing happen recently, (oscillating
chute that caused a rollover). However, this incident,
which happened on concrete, caused only cosmetic damage
to the Buckeye Dream Machine (busted strobe, scratches
to the unit, and only scratched knees to the operator.
Pointy Head - tcm@tcmd.com
Coincidentally on the subject of mirrors, a nearby
resident of mine who bought a Six Chuter about 3 weeks
ago was trying to get a few more hours logged almost
had his first wreck..
The SixChuters the Ontario dealer is selling all have
mirrors BTW.
After preflight for takeoff, this guy proceeded to
apply power to get the chute to inflate.. it lifted
off the ground, but was strictly from prop wash - the
cells DID NOT open. He checked his mirror, saw that
the chute was up and behind so he applied more power...
the machine started forward down the runway, the chute
in the same condition.... a barb wire fence fast approaching....
finally (at the last possible second) the cells opened
and he got up with about 1' to clear from the top of
the fence (this guy has 6 hours total and is trying
to fly from a _very_ short and dangerous strip)
Anyway, on the ground I explained what happened and
he confirmed all he did was check the mirror. I'd be
willing to bet that if he had looked he would have seen
the condition and aborted takeoff before it was too
late.
From my days of motorcycling I learned to never trust
the mirror... ALWAYS turn and look... but of course,
kept the mirrors because they are good for checking
causual looks to the rear.
kirk - slim@wingsisp.com
So here its, i was on a fairly long cross contry,at
1000ft with my new windproof lighter (worked great)
i lite up a smoke, to keep the wind from blowing it
out i cupped it in my hand up near my chest.the next
thing i know my wind breaker jacket was aglow.So here
i was 1000ft up strapped in (couldn,t remove jacket)
wind faned the fire no flames though, do i jump out?
or burn&crash?luckly i was able to beat the fire
out but not before i lost some hair on my chest.jacket
was trashed but no great lost, because this same jacket
almost took me out before when the rolled up hood unrolled
when i was flying and snagged up in the pulleys of my
pm2 it snapped my head back. i was wearing a helmet
when my head hit the post then the pulleys let go of
the hood. lessons to be learned (1) don,t smoke it will
kill ya one way or another.(2)wear safe clothing like
it says right on the air frame. unfortunate i have a
few other misshapes if anybody is interested?
just let me know.
Carlos - chatten@erols.com
Was talking with Fred about the PPC+G Accident Database
(he is responsible for the candian HG + PG database)
and he sent this. Not directly applicable, but since
he mentions Powered Paragliding, I'll forward it. -Carlos
We are having a terrible time with recurring Fatalities
and serious injuries to pilots with previous Powered
Paragliding and boat towing with Parachutes who, without
knowledge or relevant training attempt to tow a paraglider.
You could help us by publishing this information as
widely as possible amongst your compatriots so that
we may prevent a recurrance.
From: broyles@paramount.aud.alcatel.com (Dave Broyles
Past President of the USHGA)
Fred,
I am a towing examiner in paragliding, and I would say
that I am about as knowledgeable in PG as HG. I am also
a PG basic instructor, and a PG observer. I do most
of my training with scooter tow.
Paraglider lockouts are somewhat similar to hang gliding
lockouts, but para- gliders tow from the harness and
have no self correcting characteristic. since they are
so stable, this is not normally a problem, and in fact,
while I have not towed more than a few high performance
paragliders, I don't think that they are harder to tow
than the intermediate ones. (I haven't flown or towed
any comp paragliders.)
The major difference between hg and pg is the same
in towing as in free flying. The pg can't be flown faster
than a certain speed under tow, and thus the pilot has
no way to reduce tension if he is being overtowed.
Being overtowed, is exerting excess towline tension
on the PG such that it is forced into a higher angle
of attack by the tow force. This of course causes the
canopy to operate at a higher co-effecient of lift,
and also reduces it's response to control and makes
it more less stable and more vunerable to lockouts.
Towing from the body has no self correction effect
with a paraglider and this aggravates the problem greatly.
When the canopy gets off to the side then it has no
tendency to come back by itself.
In effect, if the tow tension is not limited to a reasonable
value and the glider is not kept in the correct position,
the pilot is at great risk of a lockout.
I have written some simple directions on towing a paraglider,
but still, I suggest that no-one tow a PG without proper
training as while not hard, the problems which can occur
are just as unexpected and as dangerous as towing a
hang glider.
If you have specific questions, I will try to help.
Dave
== End Forwarded Message <==
HPAC Accident Review & Safety Committee Chairman
Fred T L Wilson Email: fwilson@IslandNet.com
102 - 1236 Pandora Victoria B.C. Canada V8R 3R4
Ph: 1-250-360-0696 Work: 250-386-6773 Fax: 250-386-3941
Carlos - chatten@erols.com
PPCADB Incident #:97072001
Pilot's Name: Carlos Hattenburg
Pilots Membership / License #: None. Aircraft # PPC-A10
Pilots Rating level:
Pilots Endorsements:
Pilots total airtime: 25 hours
Pilots total airtime in this unit: 25 hours, all in
this exact unit
Pilots total number of Flights: 30?
Pilots total number of Flights during the last 90 days:
7
Name of witness:
Address of witness:
Name of Reporter: Carlos
Address of Reporter: chatten@erols.com 301.831.7560
Date of the accident or incident: 7-20-97
Flying site: Mt Airy, Md. ex-farm field
Nearest town: Mt Airy, Md.
Description of injuries: none
Length of Hospitalization: none
Identify any passenger, crew or property injured or
damaged:none
Description of aircraft damage: one propeller splintered,
possible prop-gaurd damage, need to inspect if 2nd prop
damaged (it was not rotating at time of strike)
Aircraft make and model: ParaPlane PM-1, dual solo
engines, standard chute. Built 1984
Harness make and model: n/a
Reserve parachute make and model: none
Brief, objective description of the Accident or Incident:
Brief? whats that? Returning home from a visitation
flight (my brothers house), about 1/3 of the way home
(15 minutes?) one of the two engines failed. I was at
estimated 2000 agl. The compression plug blew out of
the engine AGAIN. I had it repaired at an engine shop
2 weeks prior, and the mechanic had used lock-tite on
it before giving it back to me. Of couse I (incorrectly)
ASSUMED he tourqued it in to around the correct level,
but since I did not tell him the required torque, how
could he know? Duh. I did not expect him to lock-tight
it. He assured me it was high-temperature lock-tight,
so I said OK, should be good! (mistake #1)
So, the engine blows out. One engine left. It's 3pm,
and the thermals are staggering...like getting into
an elevator. I'm not worried about losing too much altitude
(a PM-1 with 1 engine suppossedly has a 6 to 1 glide
ratio, but with a 13 year old chute, may be more like
4 to 1) because I really can find free lift everywhere.
But to just be safe, I turn around and head back to
my brothers. at about 2xATL (above treetop level!) it
gets REAL bumpy. I turn to make another pass and a thermal
picks me up another 150 feet. It's hard to get down!
So, I aim for the start of the field (end nearest me).
Mistake #2. ALWAYS aim for the MIDDLE OF THE FIELD.
If you have a field, USE ALL of it!! In a field maybe
a quarter mile long, I landed 5 feet from the beginning
of it. No problem....the pre-field area was a big field
of all wild flowers and taller weeds. And one rusty
pole sticking out of the ground. One inch wide, 1/8
inch thick, 5 years ructed, one propeller for lunch.
I landed perfect, except for a strange 'shudder' at
about 2 feet AGL. Oh well, musta been my power down.
My brother comes running up saying something about prop
pieces all over....ouch! The outer propeller has now
disintegrated. I am color blind, and it has cost me
$160 (or whatever a prop costs). If i was 3 inches to
either side of it or in front of it...or 60 feet in
front like I SHOULD have been....
Weather conditions: hot. during drought, middle of
day. Windy, not too gusty. perfect visibility. pretty
gusty in wind shadow zones though, as in the landing
field.
How could this accident have been avoided?
1) Never trust anyone else to preflight for you. In
case, I assumed the plug was torqued in because a mechanic
did it & lock-tighted. (a compression plug looks
just like a spark plug)
2) Always aim to land in the middle of the field.
3) If forced to land in unknown weeds, scan scan scan.
Provide a Report Review, include any Recommendations
which resulted:
see above.
What would you like other pilots to learn from this
event so that a recurrence may be prevented?
Ah yes. One of the other reasons i intended to land
at the start of the field was the spectators at the
far end. If I screwed up. i didn't want them to see
it close up. Remember to ignore the spectators (but
don't hit them). add to above - 4) Fly the plane. Don't
worry 'bout onlookers.
What Action was taken as a result of this event?
(Examples: Club members warned of hazard, obstacles
removed, training program initiated...):
Will report to the MAPPC members, and use as first official
entry into PPC+G Worldwide Incident Database. Obsticle
was not removed - was in a private backyard (brothers
neighbor).
Lee Hunt
Hey Phil, (from Inflite)
I almost became one of your statistics! You said "everyone
has broken at least one of the torsion bars on a hard
landing". (I think that was you)
Anyway, I was performing a preflight inspection and
found a crack or split all along the longitudinal length
of the right torsion bar. One hard landing and I'm sure
it would have broken right in two. But, alas, my record
is still intact, I must say! Just goes to show, don't
neglect those pre-flights, guys! Can sure save you an
embarrassing moment when you least expect it, not to
mention saving you possible injury or damage as well.
Regards,
Lee Hunt
Solo Flight Powered Parachutes Inc.
"Who's Up Next?"
http://www.orlinter.com/users/solo
1-407-957-5185
1-800-84-FLY-ME
1-407-957-1383 FAX
Joe Albanese - cardoc@paraski.com
Hey Lee!!
That is why you are the best. You can never be too
careful. I think the greatest danger is when you get
overconfident and a little too cocky. I "woke up"
from one of my routine take-offs recently. I was having
a long string of take-offs where the chute always popped
straight up quickly, so one time I really didn't bother
checking the angle and just hammered the throttle and
looked straight ahead. I didn't realize the wind had
caught the chute and pulled it over to the left, that
was the second mistake. The first mistake was not moving
the pick-up truck out of the way, I said to myself that
there was no way I would go that far left where the
truck was parked. Well when the chute pulled left and
I was at full throttle, I was heading straight for the
pick-up truck!! If it wasn't for the 4-wheel stability
of my machine I would have already tipped over by then.
At that point I was out of options so I just kept the
throttle full blast and prayed that I would clear the
truck.
How close was it??? Put it this way, if the tailgate
had been up, I would have hit it. I cleared the top
of the truck by about one inch!!! Just a little lower
and I would have crashed right inside the truck, loaded
and ready for the scrap heap, and I surely would have
been injured. The only funny part was that I picked
up the wind sock that we hang on a pole attached to
the pick-up, this saved it from going through the prop
but left me with no way of telling the wind direction
when landing.
The video battery had just quit so there was no record
of the event. But let me tell you that it is well recorded
in my mind!
Joe Albanese
Para-Ski International
http://www.paraski.com
fax: 1 (514) 474-3229
tel: 1 (514) 474-7272
P.O. Box 76075
Mascouche, J7K-3N9
Quebec, Canada
Kirk
Ok you asked for it .this is the mishap that scared
me the most . late last winter i went to a locale air
strip to fly, that is L shaped .I did my pre flight
then pro ceded to taxi to the runway to get lined up
with the wind. but when i made my turn onto the runway
my chute collapsed to the side of me.
I thought that i heard something hit the props so i
shut down to inspect them.
they checked out ok .
but mean wile a small plane was making go a rounds waiting
for me to takeoff. so i took a quick look at my chute
lines they looked good also.so i pro ceded down the
runway and took off . everything seemed fine intel about
a 1/2 hour later it started to snow hard .so i returned
back to the air strip and landed.(no prolblem).but when
spring came around i went to do a preflight,i found
that 1 of my suspension cables was cut all but one strand
of wire.at first it looked like some body cut them on
purposes. I even asked my wife if she was trying to
kill me? but then i remembered what happened (above)so
i laid out my chute and pulled it over to the side.
the cut lined up with the prop tips. but there was only
a small nick on one tip.I,m not sure what would have
happened if that last strand broke but i,m sure glad
it started to snow that day.
LESSON LEARNED NEVER HURRY TO FLY....
Question can anybody tell me what would have happened
if one of the four suspension cables (on a para plane)
were to brake?
Also please tell me i,m not the only one that these
thing happen to. If not please every one post some of
yours.(LEARN & LIVE) I have a few more for later
on.
Phil Dietro - gotafly@ix.netcom.com
Are you refering to the stainless steel aircraft cables
attached to the " T " bar, which the rapide
links that are connected to the canopy attach to???
If so, here is my answer, IMO, That is.
1. If there is any noticable wear on the cable, don't
fly. When you pre-flight all your cables, you check
them for any frays, and, there is a special RED filiment
inside each true stainless steel aircraft cable. If
you can see this cable, it's time to replace them. NOW!!!
You check the thimbles, making sure they're securely
in place, and if the thimbles appear elongated, guess
what? REPLACE THE CABLES! Between the first & second
swedge, there should be a gap. This is where the cables
are swedged togehter, and attached to either an I bolt,
or a stainless steel tang.
If the cable seems tight, it has pulled thru the swedge.
REPLACE THE SET!
If in doubt, don't fly, & replace the cables in
matched pairs.
Here's a story of a late BFI, who, aparently replaced
his defective cables with a home made set of galvanized
wire, from his local, helpful, ace hardware man. One
of them failed in flight. The real scarry part to me
is if this was the first flight with the home made cables,
or, had he flown students before this happened. This
was very tragic, but it would have been even more so,
had this been a first flight student.
This was done for one of 2 reasons, IMO, either he
could not wait for replacements to be shipped, or he
was attempting to economize. either way, there was no
savings in this, only loss.
BTW, B4 U ask, this was a Paraplane dealer, and the
unit was a PSE-2. Every incident I have ever heard about,
whether in a paraplane, buckeye, or 6 shooter, has happened
because of Pilot error, or carelessness, or stupidity.
PPC's are very forgiving machines, but, if & when
we become complacement, or overconfident, any machine
can rear up & bite you. These are attention getters.
Lets hope we all pay attention to them, so we'll all
have many hours of calm & blue. Remember, Know both
your own, and your machines limitations, and stay within
those bounds.
Phil
Inland Paraflite, Inc. http://www.paraplane.com
USA Western Regional Dealer for Paraplane Powered Parachutes.
3 of the 4 top finishers at the 96 KIMO Nationals, including
the N.A.P.P.F. Champion flew Paraplane Powered Parachutes.
It's Time You Found Out Why!
Basic Flight Training through the Premier "Top
Gun" Course.
mailto:gotafly@ix.netcom.com
YOUR INCIDENT GOES HERE!
Acronyms used in these reports:
ACFT or A/C - Aircraft ACF - Area Control Facility AFI
- Advanced Flight Instructor AGL - Above Ground Level
ALT - Altitude AOA - Angle-of-Attack ARPT - Airport
ASC - Aero Sports Connection ASI - Air Speed Indicator
ATC - Air Traffic Control (a generic term for a joint
civil/military system for controlling traffic within
a specific area) AWAS - Automated Weather Advisory Station
B - At or Below (constrained altitude) BFI - Basic Flight
Instructor C - Centigrade CAT - Clear Air Turbulence
Cat II - A Cat II approach involves weather minimums
of a 200 ft ceiling and 2600 ft RVR CFI - Certified
Flight Instructor CFIT - Controlled Flight Into Terrain
CG - Center of Gravity CLR - Clear DGPS - Differential
GPS DOT - Department of Transportation DOD - Department
of Defense EMS - Emergency Medical Services ENG - Engine
E/O - Engine-Out EST - Estimated F - Fahrenheit FAA
- Federal Aviation Administration FAR - Federal Aviation
Regulations (federal rules under which flight operations
are conducted) FL - Flight Level, FL 310 For example,
FL310 is an altitude 31,000 ft. above sea level; used
for altitudes above 18,000 ft FLT - flight FPM - Feet
Per Minute FYI - for your information GA - General Aviation
GNSS - Global Navigation Satellite System GPS - Global
Positioning System GRP - Geographical Reference Points
GS - Glide Slope GS - Ground Speed G/S - Glideslope
IAOA - Indicated Angle-of-Attack IAS - Indicated Airspeed
IFR - Instrument Flight Rules in.hg. - inches of mercury
IMHO - in my humble opinion IMO - in my opinion IMVHO
- in my very humble opinion IVO - name of a company
that makes propellers KT (kts) - Knots LAT - Latitude
LON - Longitude LORAN - Long Range Navigation MAA -
Maximum Authorized IFR Altitude MAG - Magnetic MAINT
- Maintenance MCA - Minimum Crossing Altitude MSL -
MSL Mean Sea Level MTBF - Mean Time Between Failures
N/A - Not Applicable N.A.P.P.F. - NAV - Navigation NAVAID
- Navigational Aid NDB - Nondirectional Radio Beacon
NM - Nautical Mile NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration NOTAM - Notice for Airman NTSB - National
Transportation Safety Board (United States) NWS - National
Weather Service PF - Pilot Flying PG - Paraglider, has
no engine; Check out Big Air Paragliding site. PP -
Powered Parachute PPC - Powered Parachutes that use
wheels, carts, or bicycles (!) as a frame. PPG - 'Backpack
style' Powered Paragliders, with engine & prop worn
by pilot like a backpack. PPW - Powered Para Wing ,
which, to most readers, includes both PPG and PPC PLF
- PLT - Pilot PNF - Pilot Not Flying POS - Position
QRH - The barometric pressure as reported by a particular
station R/C - Rate of Climb rf - radio frequency RNAV
- Area Navigation (generic acronym for any device capable
of aircraft guidance between pilot-defined waypoints
RVR - Runway Visual Range RW - Runway SA - Situation
Awareness SAT - Static Air Temperature SOP - Standard
Operating Procedure STOL - Short Takeoff and Landing
S.W.A.G. method - Scientific Wild Ass Guess TACH - Tachometer
TBD - To Be Determined TBO - Time between Overhauls
TBS - To Be Specified TCA - Terminal Control Area TEMP
- Temperature T&G - Touch and Go landing T/O (TO)
- Takeoff TRK - Track (to a NAVAID) TRU - True TURB
- Turbulence UHF - Ultra-high Frequency USUA - United
States Ultralight Association V - Velocity VHF - Very-high
Frequency VMC - Visual Meteorological Conditions VOM
- Volt-ohm-milliammeter VOR - VHF OmniRange Navigatgion
System (ground navigational aid that can provide display
of aircraft position relative to course through selected
ground navigational radio transmitter) VORTAC - VHF
Omni Range Radio/Tactical Air Navagation VX - Speed
for Best Angle of Climb VY - Speed for Best Rate of
Climb WINDR - Wind Direction WINDMG - Wind Magnitude
WPT - Way point WT - Weight WX - Weather WXR - Weather
Radar XTK - Crosstrack (cross track error)
EVEN MORE Acronyms
Other Related Accident Databases:
The NTSB web page now lists some UL incidents.
Big Air Paragliding, for paragliders, of course. Very
good site.
Broomsticks Cautionary Tales
The FAA's Aviation Safety Information
The FAA's Incident Data System
The EAA's Aviation Safety Data site
Also check out "Aviation Safety Magazine, Subscription
Services, P.O. Box 420234, Palm Coast, Fl 32142 800-829-9162"
They list GA accidents and incidents.
Getting copies of this Database:
There are several ways to get copies of this database:
Visit the web page for the most up to date information.
The Powered Parachute Incident Database can be found
at http://www.pro-pro.com/carlos/ppc_adb.htm
Get the database emailed to you in ASCII text readable
form. Email CHatten@erols.com and request it.
Get a printed copy of the database mailed to you. No
cost as of yet, but a buck or two would not hurt for
postage! No biggie either way. Send request to: "PPC
Incident Database, 13406 Samhill Cir. Mt. Airy, Md 21771".
PLEASE include ANY incidents you may have had, or witnessed
seeing!
Get the incidents & full discussion / analysis
via email by subscribing! If you are not already on
the PPC Powered Parachute email group, it's a really
great resource - check it out! To join, go to http://www.teleport.com/~qmyers/ppclist.htm
Remember you can be automatically notified when this
page is updated
Other Related Links:
The Powered Parachute Incident Database
The Powered Parachute Tips & Tricks Board
The Powered Parachute Question of the Day Archives
The Mid-Atlantic Powered Parachuting Club Newsletter,
Information and Links Web Site
Carlos' home page...
Submit an incident, or comment!
You're the th curious soul...
The counter above provided by The Cyber Guestbook System
and CGI Hosting Services
BLANK SUBMITTAL FORM:
Please cut and paste for incident submissions
Pilot's Name:
Pilots Membership / License #:
Pilots Rating level:
Pilots Endorsements:
Pilots total airtime:
Pilots total airtime in this exact type of unit:
Pilots total number of Flights:
Pilots total number of Flights during the last 90 days:
Name of witness:
Address of witness:
Name of Reporter:
Address of Reporter:
Date of the accident or incident:
Flying site:
Nearest town:
Description of injuries:
Length of Hospitalization:
Identify any passenger, crew or property injured or
damaged:
Description of aircraft damage:
Aircraft make and model:
Harness make and model.
Reserve parachute make and model:
Brief, objective description of the Accident or Incident.
Weather conditions:
How could this accident have been avoided?
Provide a Report Review, include any Recommendations
which resulted:
What would you like other pilots to learn from this
event so that a
recurrence may be prevented?
What Action was taken as a result of this event?
(Examples: Club members warned of hazard, obstacles
removed, training
program initiated...)
================================================================
================================================================
================================================================
================================================================
-
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Photo courtsy of Michael Weinstein, Woodbridge, Va.
The Powered Parachute Incident Database
Updated 5.9.98
Weekly changes noted with or
Please check out our web page sponsers:
The Powered Parachute Incident Database, 1997 Submittals
Contents:
Overview
Incident Reports (5.9.98)
Acronyms used in these reports
Related Databases
Getting copies of this Database
Submittal Form
Now submit incidents using this cool form!
Overview:
· The object of this database is to collect
all incidents involving:
· PPCs - Powered Parachutes that use wheels,
carts, or bicycles as a frame
· PPGs - Backpack style Powered Paragliders
· PGs - Paragliders, if the incident may have
applied to a PPC or PPG. I strongly recommend PG incidents
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or spectators
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to me...")
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Incident Reports:
Submitted 5.9.98 by Ron
I accidentally knocked off the mags at 80 feet over
a freeway on final approach to an airfield. Sure makes
you sit up and pay attention.
Submitted 5.9.98 by Tom R.
Taxiing with the chute up is fun but can be costly.
I did just what you are requesting and it cost me six
hundred dollars, new prop and repaired chute. I still
do allot of taxiing with the chute up, but I am constantly
looking up at the chute to see where its at and what
its doing. If it starts to move in a place I don't like
I shut the engine down.
Submitted 5.9.98 by Phil M.
I have 11 hours flight time in my Buckeye Dream Machine.
Yesterday afternoon I was flying in optimal conditions,
but noticed that my plane seemed to be leaning slightly
to the left. Also, I had to maintain constant pressure
on the right footbar to make the machine fly straight.
I attributed it to the slight wind, but when I turned
and went 180 degrees to my original path, the lean remained
to the left and the right bar still required pressure.
It was then that I did a more complete inspection of
my wing and noticed that the four rapide links on the
right side were tangled. This, of course, shortened
the right side and would explain everything I had experienced.
I returned to base , landed, and straightened the links,
took off again and the same thing happened! This had
never happened once, and now it happened two flights
in a row.
I have always hung the ring on the right side on the
cleat during pre-flight and just allowed the rapide
links to dangle. Is there a better way to do this to
insure that I never have this problem again?
Submitted 5.6.98 by Bob Ogg 777!
Ray, I had my first electrical problem on a flight
this afternoon, and It was interesting. Actually it
was a double whammy. First, roll out, and climb out
was perfectly normal. I cleared 300 ft. and the next
time I looked at the guages,....there were none. I just
had a blank screen. Well I didn't feel like it was a
problem, accept I guess I had become to comfortable
with the temp guages. Im eating crow now,...got egg
all over my face about that KISS thing. I checked the
power switch, and fliped it off, and back on. The guages
came right up, but I noticed I was only putting out
8.5 volts,...then the EIS went off again. I didn't want
to burn it out because of low current, so I left it
off. I did get a look at the readings, and everything
was normal, but the power output. I figured I would
finish the pattertn, and make a landing, which went
well, accept when I hit the kill switches, the engine
didn't stop. I just choked it out with the remoat choke.
Great, Im thinking this ol girl has some serious problems.
I havent had a single problem with my SR-7 since Ive
had it, and Ive flown it for 50 hours. I started the
look see, and I found the EIS problem. On the SC, we
use a power block, and a capacitor to ground. I put
silicone on these parts to prevent vibration. I check
closer, and found one lead of the capacator broken right
out of the caseing. I pushed the plane back to the hanger,
and removed the dash. Found the ignition problem, broken
solder weld at the switch. It didn't appear to be a
cold weld,....but it sure as hell broke none the less!
Must have been my day in the basket. I repaired the
switch, and installed a new capacator. Talk about preflight,
am I going to have to remove the dash! I checked everything
while I had the dash open. I'll be back in the air tomorrow!
Thought you might find this interesting,...I know I
did. Gregg, pay attention,...this could have been your
flight! Bob 777
Submitted 4.23.98 by David H, NE.
This article appeared in an Omaha, Nebraska paper on
4.19.98. I have the phone number of the pilot, and will
call him in 1 month (after hospital stay) and will let
everybody know more details then. It sounds like a snapped
steering line to me.
Ultralight Craft Crashes; 2 Hurt
by Patrick Strawbridge
World Herald Staff Writer
Two Omaha men were injured Saturday when a parachute
cord on their ultralight aircraft snapped, sending the
craft spiriling down into power lines before it hit
the ground.
The pilot, 28 year old William Sheldon of 4316 Patrik
Ave., was listed in serious condition at St. Joseph
Hospital late Saturday. He suffered injuries from the
crash and was shocked by the power lines, police said.
His passenger, Redge Sorensen, 36, was not seriously
injured. He was treated at Midlands Hospital.
The men were several hundred feet above a field near
96th street and Giles Rd. about 6:15 pm when the cord
snapped, said Sarpy County Sheriff's Capt. Jeff Davis.
Sorensen told investigators the aircraft began to circle
down, striking the power lines before coming to a rest
against Sheldon's Dodge Dakota, which was parked on
the side of the road. Davis said investigators were
unsure why the parachute cord snapped. The exact model
of the aircraft, along with it's age, were unknown.
The craft was equipped with a motor but relied on the
parachute to keep it aloft. It did not have a radio
and was not in contact with any other airport or other
aircraft, Davis said.
Such aircraft are sometimes called "power-parachutes"
and resemble go-carts with parachutes.
Submitted 4.23.98 by H.R.O III, from Sun-n-Fun 98
Well, at least Richard got to fly. I on the other hand
became his wind sock. Canopy rotated hard to the right
as I throttled up, so I throttled down to recover and
decided to play it conservatively and kill the engine
and start over again. THUMP. I had a prop strike with
my cable and the quick link. Two prop blades destroyed;
one of the engine mount support tubes bent, and a ding
on one of my fan guard tubes. It is bad enough to have
this happen when one is with a friend or two, but try
doing it with a crowd of onlookers watching you repack
your canopy and head back while everyone else is up
in the air? bummer. Well, the consolation is this. Rockin
John said he did not want my blades because he has a
wall full of them and Ivo of Ivoprop himself was their
to replace my two damaged blades. Talk about service!
---------------------- Richard adds:
Actually, Rob was in front and to my right as we sat
waiting for our turn to takeoff.
The air boss signaled me to go first, but I pointed
to Rob because I did not want to have the crosswind
to push my chute into his spinning prop. I watched Robs
chute on his takeoff roll to see what the wind was going
to do to it.(my windsock) The left leading edge came
up ahead of the right side and due to the crosswind
the left leading edge did not stop until it hit the
ground on the right side. The chute did a 180.
To Robs credit, we were attempting to fly in conditions
that were far from ideal, a crosswind takeoff, winds
gusting and changing directions. Plus a large crowd
of spectators. From my vantage point behind Robs 6C
it looked like he shut the mags off in plenty of time.
Only later did I learn that one of the quick links had
found 2 of the prop blades. It could have happened to
anyone out there.
Here's a tip. (for what it's worth) When flying with
several PPCs I prefer not to be the first to takeoff
or land. I like to watch what the other guys chute to
see what it does. So I will not have any surprises when
mine does the same thing. In the case above with Rob,
I had already seen a couple of PPCs takeoff, but not
at the same angle to field that Rob and I were sitting
at. When I saw what happened to Robs chute, I knew that
I needed to begin my takeoff roll faster than normal
to load the chute and prevent it from rotating 180s
into the ground. I also knew that if I applied input
into the left steering bar I could stop the chute from
doing a 180 to the right. A faster than normal initial
roll will put more of the planes weight onto the chute
and make it less prone to succumb to the effects of
a crosswind. But, it also increases your risk for a
rollover. But, I fly a Buckeye, and we all know they
don't roll. :-) Just kidding, they all roll.
Rob, thanks for donating the 2 Ivo blades to my wall
of shame. The wall now has 12 or 13 Ivo blades on it.
Submitted 4.8.98 by Clyde
Then there was the time after I got my chute repaired
from the "dumb front yard landing trick".
I put it back on and missed routing one of the steering
lines through one of the guides. Should have caught
it on the preflight but didn't and away I go. Hmm. Can
only steer one direction. Going to be an interesting
landing. I grabbed a handfull of steering line to flare
that side. Lesson, recheck EVERYTHING after doing maintenance.
and...
There I was doing a preflight and I look up to see
another PPC cruising over. SCRAMBLE - - almost finished
anyway. Start the engine and since is is warmed up start
takeoff roll. &*#$^@* the right sterring line won't
move. Look up to see it wrapped around the pulley several
times. Uh oh,.. quick reach up and un-wrap it, there
whew, everything A-ok, now let's go get that guy! Lesson,
slow down, live longer!
Submitted 4.8.98 by Lee
There was the time while on takeoff roll I looked up
at the chute and my helmet fell off. It was plugged
into the intercom and was bouncing right along beside
the plane.
For me it was my baseball cap. Went right thru the
blades... rrrrrrrppppp!
nothing but the hat bill left No damage to the prop.
When out of nowhere a shoulder harness hits me in the
nose. OUCH! Damn! I'm bleeding. Where in the h__ did
that come from? I am not even buckled in and I have
been in the air for a good 30 minutes.
Been there, done that.
Submitted 4.8.98 by Pilot
Ok, I will admit to looping my left steering line over
the handy dandy little mirror on the end of the left
CG tube. Mirror was my gas gauge on the '92 Bucky and
this was on the first flight. Sure made steering interesting.
Glad I was over a 160 acre meadow. Another flight I
found out the hard way don't use non locking nuts on
stuff, steering was a little tricky. Also, don't spend
too much time screwing with a camera and a camcorder
that you forget to fasten your seat belt. Shiiiiiiit!!
That kind of stuff could present a laundry problem and
hyperventilation. Helmets are also better at serving
you if they are fastened on. I'm sure there is more,
but fortuntely I can't think of more just now.
Submitted 4.8.98 by Ron
Five planes at the field and mine was up with someone
else. I jumped into another without pre-flighting it.
It had been pre-flighted, right?
About 100' AGL I hear this CRACK noise. Hard to tell
with the helmet/headset on, but I swear it came from
the left CG point. I look at this ver-ry carefully,
reach out and grab it, I can move it a little. Okay,
maybe the CG point shifted. Shouldn't have made a noise
like that, though. Meanwhile I have come about and am
heading back to the field. Second CRACK. That's it.
I'm setting down.
On close examination, both left side pylon cross-brace
bolts have vacated their space, announcing their departure
via big dings in the prop, 2" apart, same blade.
I no longer care who did the pre-flight, I do my own.
Submitted 4.8.98 by Ben
While flying during the winter I noticed that my CHT
was very close to 474 deg. Its normal reading 375. EGT
was 1150 about normal. I put a little choke on and the
temp dropped a few deg. but no where near where I wanted
it to be. Cut back on RPM, if anything the temp went
up. I think I should start looking for the best landing
site (of course I am flying with the though of, if I
need to land I am flying over area which appears to
be landable) at 500 ft I don't have alot of glide room.
It was then I noticed that the shop cloth which I was
using as a small scarf just below my chin was missing.
I unziped my coat (now I am really cold temp out side
about 25deg) no shop towel in there! It has not slid
into my jacket, If it came off I should have heard it
go through the prop, it would have made alot of noise
I don't remember hearing anything. Could it, Could it
be over my air intake, look around sure enough there
it is stuck to my air intake!!!! pull it off and the
CHT drops with in 5 sec. after 30 sec. down to 375.
If you use a scarf (shop towel) attach it some way.
Submitted 4.8.98 by Bud Lucky
I have been out of town for a few days, Up in Bob's
Country and when I got back I hear a Horror story
Being an instructor you can not teach good judgement
and one of my students was taking off from a confined
space, and went past his shut-down point thinking that
another few feet he would be gone, was not in the cards.
When he realized that he would not clear the ground
the 4 strand barbwire fence was coming fast just time
to push it to idle. That's all he remembers, a few scratches
on his face and a broken tooth. The plane came through
with only a few scratches on the CG tubes and a few
on the prop that's all. So let this be a wake up call
for all you guys and gals that fly out of tight places,
by the way it was not in my back yard for the ones that
know where I live.
ps Fence suffered heavy loss on 3 strands
Submitted 4.7.98 by Richard
Okay, time to fess up. Name some of the stupid things
that have happened to you as a result of a lackluster
preflight. What? You want me to go first. Well, okay,
but you have to promise to learn from my mistakes and
not just laugh at me. Okay? Well, laugh if you must.
There was the time while on takeoff roll I looked up
at the chute and my helmet fell off. It was plugged
into the intercom and was bouncing right along beside
the plane. I reached out a grabbed it and put it back
on. (just like I had rehearsed) :-) Could have easily
gone into the prop. Part of your preflight is making
sure your helmet is on correctly. I have not made that
mistake again.
There was the time I was flying over my brothers house
and he and his family were out in the yard waving and
jumping up and down and otherwise acting like the idiots
his neighbors think he is. Anyway I am somewhere around
200ft or so and I am trying to look over my shoulder
at them as I make those tight turns to stay over them.
When out of nowhere a shoulder harness hits me in the
nose. OUCH! Damn! I'm bleeding. Where in the h__ did
that come from? I am not even buckled in and I have
been in the air for a good 30 minutes. One of the last
things you should do is make sure you are not going
to fall out of your plane.( Talk about embarrassing)
Buckle Up, or your plane may land without you. I have
not made that mistake again. Although awhile back I
did go for an instruction flight in a trike and the
instructor forgot to buckle his belt. After making some
tight turns I hear him say something along the lines
of "OH SH#@! " Upon landing, I take a good
look at the trike seat and I realize that I could have
been making my first solo in a trike, heck it only had
a narrow seat and if he had leaned over without the
bar in his hands, hello solo. (you know who you are)
:-)
There was the time I was setting up for my approach.
I grabbed the ground steering rod and the arm that runs
forward from the stick to the front fork fell off at
my end. The locknut had come off. Oh boy! This might
not be the usual soft landing. I got some tude and thought
about what might happen. Pretty obvious, nothing good
was going to happen with no ground steering. What to
do? I unbuckled myself and carefully reached to the
front fork and grabbed my misplaced steering arm. I
was able to hold the steering rod and tube in one hand
and work the throttle with the other. Made a tolerable
landing and kicked myself for missing that loose locknut.
I have not made that mistake again. ( but I still might,
there are only about a 1000 of those things on a Bucky.)
There was the time my engine flooded at 2300 ft because
I had left a choke lever in the upper detent. You have
read about that here already, so I will not give the
details again. Suffice it to say, I have not made that
mistake again.
I have more, but I want to read some from you. God,
I hope that I am not alone here. Oh yea, I forgot that
Bob 777 is out there. H__ he has a lesson for us almost
everytime he flies. :-) just yanking Bobs chain.
All right, time to come clean. Let's hear about your
adventures that you will never let happen again. ( Man
am I going to feel silly if no one continues this thread
)
---------------------- Brian adds:
Richard, I've done most of yours + a couple. Did the
helmet thing, the seat belt trick, never left my choke
on, but have forgot to put the fuel cap back on. Lost
3 hats (no damage to the prop.,can't say the same for
the hats) one pair of sun glasses, and dropped my AV
radio over the side, lucky there it landed fine in a
pile of soft snow.
Ever leave your car keys sittin on the engine ?
Ever lose your car keys and find them sittin on the
engine after a flight ?
Hmm, how did these get here.
Submitted 4.7.98 by The Alberta Report
From the The Alberta Report
April 6,1998 An epidemic of amateurismTwo deaths cap
a season of danger for neophyte Medicine Hat flyers
Two-seat powered parachute: The salesmen say they're
safe.On the afternoon of March 14, David Westley Steele,
44, and his 16-year-old daughter Leia Fawn Steele Arrenegado
set out for a pleasant day of amateur flying along the
South Saskatchewan River near their hometown, Medicine
Hat. Their craft was a Six-Chuter brand "powered
parachute," a go-kart-like contraption held aloft
by an aircraft engine. Steele had purchased the power
chute only a month before from local distributor Ed
Meyers, but as eyewitnesses watched and snapped photos
from the ground between Redcliff and Echo Dale Park,
he appeared to have perfect control, flying level and
straight along the river.For some reason, however, Steele
flew his chute directly into a string of high-tension
power lines 120 feet above the ground. The chute sagged
and deflated, the lines became entangled, and the craft
fell for five seconds to the ice of the South Saskatchewan.
Both father and daughter were pronounced dead at the
scene. "I would assume that they died almost instantly,"
says Redcliff RCMP Constable Jim Nieman. "I was
calling to them from about 100 yards as I approached
and could get no response. Let me put it this way: there
was significant damage to their helmets." Transport
Canada investigators failed to find any mechanical problems
to explain the crash, which is being attributed to pilot
error. Unfortunately, such errors may be becoming more
common among operators of powered parachutes. The Steele
chute crash is the Medicine Hat area's third in as many
months. RCMP at the Redcliff division, just outside
the city, are calling for an overhaul of the rules governing
power chutes, which Transport Canada considers to be
ultralight aircraft.Like other ultralight operators,
a prospective chute flyer must undergo three hours of
ground school and five hours of radio-supervised solo
flight. He then has to pass an exam to get a licence.
Before taking passengers, pilots must log 50 more hours
of flight time and obtain a special instructor's permit.
But Redcliff RCMP Const. Ben Draper says that there
is no real way to enforce these regulations. Steele,
for example, had the basic pilot's licence, but did
not have the instructor's permit he needed to take up
a passenger."It's like putting the fox in charge
of the henhouse," says Const. Draper. "You
can't tell me that someone who buys one of these things
is going bring it home and leave it in the yard untouched
until they've got the proper permit. Maybe if you only
have a learner's permit, you shouldn't be eligible to
purchase one until you can prove to the distributor
that you are certified to fly it."Const. Draper
says such a procedure would have likely prevented the
two other power-chute accidents this year. On January
31, Roy Cameron, 39, and a passenger were trying to
fly out of a coulee near Redcliff. Seeing that he could
not gain altitude quickly enough, Mr. Cameron had to
come about and land hard on the coulee floor. Mr. Cameron
broke his ankle; the passenger was unhurt. Then, on
February 28, Herb Carnagey, 49, and a passenger were
trying to get airborne in Mr. Carnagey's two-seater
when shifting winds blew them into a parked truck. The
passenger, 43-year-old Raymond Grisbrook of Brooks,
broke his femur. No charges were laid in either incident.The
rules for ultralight planes are not just soft: they
are also highly flexible. According to Fred D'Amico,
a regional systems-safety manager for Transport Canada's
Aviation Section, the rules allow instructors to turn
loose amateur pilots on one-seaters after attending
an accelerated version of the ground school. "You
can just get a thorough brief and go off and fly it,"
he says. "The rules allow that as a minimum requirement."But
Hans Roeben of Canadian Powered Parachutes Ltd. in Vegreville
says the rules are fine as they stand. The certified
powered-parachute instructor and airshow performer says
power chuting is one of the safest forms of air travel.
He blames the current spate of mishaps on pilot error
and improper instruction. "Things like never flying
close to an airport, other aircraft and power lines
is all stuff you should learn in the ground school before
you get your licence," he says.Mr. Roeben doubts
the accidents will have much of an impact on his business
as a distributor of the Buckeye line of powered parachutes.
He says the Canadian powered-parachute market triples
every year, and with good reason: priced from $17,000
to $20,000, power chutes make flying affordable for
the average consumer. Still, he says powered parachutes
are not just frivolous yuppie toys. He estimates that
60% of his business comes from ranchers and farmers
who use the units to check on livestock and crops and
to spray fence-lines.-- Gina Teel
Submitted 4.6.98 by Bob 777
Ok,..here I go again. I dont know if Im one of the
trials and tribulations PPC pilots, or you guys have
just been there, done that. Today I went to a little
airport at Lowell Michigan to help a pilot friend, dealer,
who is in the process of finnishing his SR-5XP, but
had a prospective costomer who wanted to to see the
SR-7XL, so I pack up and head to Lowell. First,...were
in D airspace. First time for me, so I was very careful,
not the problem here. Couple of training flights, then
back to our home airport, to meet a couple who bought
a SR-2 in Florida, and transported it to Taylor Michigan,
near Detroit. Hes never flown the plane, but it was
just rebuilt. New engine, chute, complete rear end.
I did a preflight inspection ( Twice ) I didn't build
this plane!! Set the chute out, and took off. The plane
started a left turn, not unatural for the SR, it pulls
a little left on climbout nature of the beast, as ya
know. But this turn was not natural, it was drastic.
I applied a little right input on climbout, so I really
didn't notice the turn so much until I relaxed my brace
on the right rudder tube. It was very apparent something
was wrong. I held hard right rudder, and for the first
time for me,...I felt the chute stall. Yep, I dont care
what anybody says, you had to be there, the chute stalled!
I felt the falling sensation when it did, and I imediatly
released the right input, and I started to assend again,
but with a left turn. Ok, If I have to go left, until
I get to altitude,...Ok. Long climb! I started to examine
the whole world.I checked the chute first, down the
lines, to the rigging, right rigger, left rigger...there
it is. Bingo. The stearing pully was in the wrong themble.
It should be in the tang, but its in a themble from
one of the outrigger cables. The stearing line is down
under the the outrigger, because the pully is down under
there too, directing the line with it. Oh Great!! No
wonder Im making a left turn,...as far as the right
input, guess what,...I think I learned it as a Flair!!
Thats why it stalled,...I stalled it! Oh Great again!!
OK,...now to clear it. I reached out to wrestle it,
but it was tight,...real tight. I have good altitude
by now, just cant stop turning, and if I add enough
input to the right to stop the turn,..you got it,..here
we go again. I figgured the forward speed probably contributes
to the pressure on the rigging, so I throtle back, and
try to clear it again,...it pilled hard, it was around
one of the nuts on the outrigger. I pulled as hard as
I could, and pushed on the right rudder,...what the
h__,..nothing else has worked, the flair was there.
It gave way with a jerk on the canopy when the pully
poped back up. The stearing line was now on the wrong
side of the cables, but still steared ok. Took that
puppy back to the field, and went straight to the rest
room. I wasen't sure weather I had an accident there
or not. When I examined the plane again, it was easy
to see the pullys were not in the right place. I hold
the lines out, and check them good before laying them
inside the wheels. I never noticed these pullys were
not in the right place. The rigging appeared correct.
The lines were straight. Bad news! Missed it. It was
a Pilot error, due to improper preflight. I also feel,
if you dont know about all the different models of PPCs,
you might miss this too. This is a 1994 model, much
different design from my two new ones. Not an excuse,
just want to improve myself, and find out all the things
I did wrong, learn, and go on. I know someone out there
has had something like this happen to you too. Im going
to invest in the Depends company!!
-------------- Steve B Comments:
Yes we have had a similar experience. On one of my
first flights with the new High Flyer I did not properly
preflight, too many people asking me questions during
preflight, now I preflight in private. It too could
have been nasty, on my right outrigger both cables and
the steering line were wrapped under it and I had no
right control and was stuck in a right turn. Clear it,
no way in the air, so I had to compensate with the left
and make it back and land on our little airstrip, SCARY
! but I learned a valuable lesson about preflighting.
Once before that I had the left steering line wrap once
around the outrigger but that wasn't a big deal, I just
stayed in a spiral climb till I reached 500 - 600 feet
and then throttled back and reached out and straightened
it out. One thing is for sure, I don't think that we
will make the same mistakes again ! I hope so anyway.
I learned long ago never to say never again. Well, it
is sunny and calm and if it holds out for a few hours
I am going to hit it again this morning after I run
a few errands.
-------------- Brian Adds:
Bob, A few years ago we had a similar experience. One
of the flyers in our group taught his son (25yrs old)
how to fly, the father had no training from a dealer
and taught him self to fly also. We would help him out
if we saw something amiss, but for the most part he
liked to "do it himself". Any way one day
4 of us were taking off, one was this son and the first
one in the air. The father & son were in radio contact
and just before my take off I heard the concern on the
radio that his machine was stuck in a hard left turn,
before I could get my seat belt off, the father came
running over to me almost throwing his hand held radio
to me saying "fix it". I got on the radio,
had the son maintain power, and check all the usual
things, steering line around out rigger, ect. had him
pull the steer line and release a few times to undo
any tangles that might be present. Had him look from
the chute to the out rigger for any problems, but with
out training the kid really didn't know what look right
or wrong. The guy did keep his cool and listened to
every word he was told and acted exactly as told. After
a few passes and power settings, using right rudder
to compensate, he mad a fine landing. Upon inspection
on the ground, found a stick with a half hitch around
it and about 2 feet of steering line forming a loop
with the knot holding it in place. Moral here is, again,
training and pre flight, as said by you and others.
-------------- Richard Contributes:
Good story Bob,
What you say about the preflight reminds me of an experience
I had at the Buckeye factory. ( oh no! not another one
of his stories) One of my customers decided to pick
up his wing from Buckeye. He had done a good job on
building the Dream Machine and only needed his wing.
I arrived at their field and found our friend H___ and
an one of the Buckeye instructors (not going to mention
his name) installing the PD wing. They adjusted the
steering lines to 100 inches and H___ decided it was
time to fly. This was my student but our friend H___
had decided that he would be the one to fly the plane.
He took of and flew around the field for about 20 minutes,
landed and adjusted the steering lines to where he thought
they should be.
The customer asked me to take him up that evening after
the wind died down. Sure, no problem. I just need to
go over the plane. Hey, I didn't build it and this was
my first hands on on this plane, so you bet your a__
that I looked at EVERYTHING. I found a couple of loose
nuts on one of the motor mounts, the muffler clamps
were too tight, the throttle cable needed adjusting
and the carbs were not centered correctly. Nothing major,
just a few minutes to correct and all was well. Since
the chute had been attached earlier in the day by an
AFI and a BFI I thought, well it will be okay because
they know what they are doing. What the hey. I will
give it a quick once over just in case. I started at
the flying cables on the left side. No problems here,
this is just a waste of my time. Why am I doing this,
the wind is going away, lets fly. I move on to the right
side cables.......HOLY S___!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The quick link is wide fu*%#&* open. This plane
had been flown by H___ for over 20 minutes with an open
link. My hurry-up-attitude just got slapped in the face.
I took a couple of breaths and called the owner over
and showed him what my preflight had found. He could
not belive that 2 instructors had made such a potentally
fatal error. Both instructors had incorrectly assumed
the other had checked the quick links.
I learned a lesson that day that I will never forget.
Do a preflight, do NOT let yourself be distracted, if
you did not check it yourself assume it is not done
properly. Check everything! Period!
-------------- Brian Adds:
Richard,
Outstanding story, reminds me of one, at a BFI school
this so called AFI (no names) sabotaged a machines to
show some students what to look for in a pre-flight.
Kind of a test to see if they could find the problems.
Mind you, I was there just for the fun of flying that
week-end. Anyway, most students found the problems and
they were corrected. After 'school' people were getting
ready to fly, a friend and I happened by the machine
they used for the pre flight demo and we could not believed
what we saw. The upper metal seat bracket, the angle
alum that the top of the seat bolts too (S/C single
'94) had a tear in the metal about 4" long, and
most of the seat bolts were lose and stretched. And,
one bolt that holds the cable onto the axles was about
to fall off, with in 1/2 tread. This just amazed me,
this machine had just went through at least 6 pre flights
all by different people and a AFI., and none of these
people spotted these common problems.
Submitted 3.31.98 by Lee
Now here's one for the " I shoulda stayed home"
catagory...... It's amazing how fate comes along and
bites you right in the ass when you least expect it!
Here we were talking about rollovers and how the high
winds can pull your chute up and take your plane away.....
and I said that I kite mine and it comes right up and
stays up in the air with little resistance... and then
noone else seemed to be very familiar with that phenomenon....
and I thought maybe I may have been hallucinating.....?
Well, It was quite windy yesterday (Sunday), and I
thought, well this would be a good time to try to do
again what I had done before and talked about, to see
if what I was saying was in fact true. I had a couple
of student pilots with me from Tampa who were just observing,
since it was by far too windy to fly. Winds were 13-15
gusting to 17 sometimes. Now mind you, I was a bit hesitant
to do this again in these winds, because I didn't remember
it being quite so windy before, but I thought, No problem,
if I stick to what I preach, I should be able to hold
onto that front steering fork, give it a good yank forward,
if I can get the chute to pop up quickly and be airborne
before the wind can pull the plane out of my grasp and
take her and away she goes....Well, I hadn't counted
on one minor detail. We've had some serious flooding
and rains recently, and the ground was not wet, but
moist. I gave her the ol' jerk forward, and before I
knew what hit me, my feet slipped out from under me,
I was on my back and next thing I know, I'm staring
at the bottom of my plane from underneath it as it lifted
me up about 4 feet while the wind pulled the chute up
and overhead, finally stabilizing itself in teh flying
position just as I had said earlier. Resistance dropped
to near nothing. Now, the only problem is .... I'm looking
straight up at the front nosewheel and up at the chute
flying just as pretty as you please above, while laying
on the ground directly underneath the plane! Now since
the chute has stabilized and is flying steady as a rock
in teh wind, the plane begins to gently ease itself
back down to the ground. Now I'm in a pickle... I can't
move because I'm holding on to teh front wheel fork.
As good fortune would have it , teh rear wheels touched
down ever so gently, just past the ends of my feet,
and teh nose of teh plane just stayed where my arms
dictated ,up in the air just above my chest. At this
point I was able to just push teh plane backward and
set the nose down just below my "crotchial"
area. This all took place in a matter of about 5-6 seconds.
I was fine, no damage to the body or plane, although
my pride suffered extensively! LOL
Now the lessons learned:
1. I did something I normally wouldn't do just to prove
a point to myself. Big mistake. You should always go
with your instincts. I had a feeling about this one.
I just didn't know what. I found out. I knew the winds
were just a bit too strong for this little experiment.
I should have gone with my feelings. Rule: If ever in
doubt or you question your decisions, DON'T DO IT! There's
always tomorrow.
2. My original hypothesis was in fact correct: once
the wing is past the point where the wind can exert
pressure on it from the front, and the wind moves into
teh parallel postion to the ground, you can sit there
and hold it all day long with very little upward or
rearward pressure, which is what I did after I was able
to get back into a sitting position still holding the
front fork. Actually, things would have been ok if I
hadn't "fallen and I can't get up!" My slide
prevented me from giving it that large jerk, which would
have gotten teh chute up much quicker, not giving it
much time to react to the forward facing wind. Still,
I wouldn't want to try it again in anything over 10
mph. How did I get the chute back down, you ask? My
friends each took a steering line, and pulled it in
until the chute just fell right to the ground. I then
proceeded to tie teh steering lines in a knot in front
of the outrigger, as described in an earlier post, thus
not allowing teh wind to reinflate the chute.
3. And lastly but not least......don't let the plane
come down on your crotchial area, lest you decide to
change jobs and become a soprano! LOL
BTW, I went flying in those winds afterward for about
a half an hour. I was able to demonstrate quite effectively
to the students the differences in upwind and downwind
landings, T&G's, taxiing in winds, how gusts affect
the planes ability to stay straight and level, and how
higher winds can have a significant effect on turning
both upwind and downwind. I had a ball!
Submitted 3.30.98 by Clyde
I landed one day in my front lawn. What you say? Well,
my front lawn is 700 feet long so I figured, it would
be fine, and it was until I didn't do one ot the things
my instructor had drilled into me. That is hit the kill
switch, then pull in your steering lines immediately.
No, I taxied along so as to get close to my house before
shutting down. I made a slight turn as I approached
my drive way and the chute occilated right and caught
on a fence post on our garden, I was so concerned about
looking back at the chute I forgot to kill the engine.
The prop was busy chewwing up my risers. But I was lucky,
it only cut two of them before it stopped rotating.
The chute didn't fare as well, the steel fence post
tore a 7x9 inch hole one the right side wall. That meant,
removing the chute, taking it down to the riggers for
repair, etc. Cost to pocketbook, $110.00, cost to ego
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Boy did I beat myself up for doing
something so dumb!!!! AND that was the last time I have
taxiied anywhere with the chute up. Know I land, immediately
kill the engine, pull the steering lines in, way in,
and get out and pack the chute in a bag before it has
a chance to get hurt. Then if I have a ways to go I
start the engine and taxi home or if it is a short way
to the trailer I push it. I have posted this story before,
sorry to those that heard it. But these kinds of things
happen infrequently to experienced pilots. For the record
I have had a close call on a roll over. On one takeoff
I had added just a bit to much throttle to get going
and the chute occilated and lifted one main wheel. Having
enough room I steered into the low wheel, along with
some chute brake and got it back level. But then again
I also fly taildraggers, including a Pitts. I have pretty
fast feet in correcting for things like that. Here again
less experienced pilots may not have been able to save
it. And finally , a few days ago I had my first abort
due to chute tangle. Just as I added power to kite the
chute, it decided to rotate 180 degrees and fly into
the ground. So, immediate engine kill and stop to re-set
up. Sorry I can't give you more gory incidents but I've
been flying for 34 years and have learned how to use
my superior judgment to avoid having to use my superior
skill. :-)
Submitted 3.30.98 by SkyJack
one minor mishap (along the lines of recent threads!):
on 3rd takeoff attempt, the chute locked bhind in the
propwash (no forward movement at all), and i (stupidly)
attempted to lift it out by myself - of course the first
end up inflated b4 i cud get the other end up - so off
2 the side went the chute - and we had a sort-of slow
motion tip over, while sittin stationary on the grass.
the gipper hit the kill switches & unbuckled - we
grabbed the rig...
no injuries, no damage, just decided to quit 4 the day
cause the wind wudnt.
Submitted 3.27.98 by PointyHead
Our local PPCer rolled his Buckeye when he landed because
of strong gusts and got out to pack the chute when a
gust caught it and sent it airborne for a few dozen
yards.
Submitted 3.27.98 by Bob 777
Thats the only way I ever hurt myself so far. Trying
to tackle a airborne PPC, unmanned! It just all at once
lifted up, and the pilot, and myself were both really
out of position to grab the control. It was totaly a
supprise. I, of coarse grabbed the wrong spot. I got
pinched between the lines and the plane! Trust me fellas,
it hurt! We grabbed hold of the plane, and got it back
down, that didn't hurt,...reaching for the control line
after that is whhat hurt. As I reached across the plane
to grab a line, the Canopy, which was still overhead,
jerked to the other said of the plane, like a sideways
ossilation, and the lines came right across me, and
pinched me against the plane. Dont ask me how I got
myself in this position, Im not quite sure myself, and
Ive recreated it again, to see exactly how it happned
too. I wasn't watching the canopy when we were struggling
to gain control, but it must have ossilated to my side,
as I reached between the lines, and the plane for the
control line. When it went the other way, I was in the
wrong place. It hurt, Im never doing it again. I'll
find a better way to get to the lines,..like having
them in my hands!!! I can assure you of this,...you
dont have to be in a car wreck, to know you dont want
to be! Watchem guys!
Submitted 3.27.98 by Fred C
SAFETY NOTICE:
The following article was published in the Richmond-Times
Dispatch on 1-29-98
A veteran pilot was in serious but stable condition
yesterday after being struck by an airplane propeller.
Rucker Tibbs, 74 manager of the New London Airport,
where he was hurt Tuesday night, was taken to the University
Of Virginia trauma center, where doctors amputated his
right arm above the elbow. He also suffered seveal broken
bones.
The accident occured while Tibbs was working on a single-engine
plane. Tibbs, a member of the Virginia Aviation Hall
of Fame, received his pilot's license in 1956. Since
then, he has logged hundreds of hours searching for
downed planes with the Civil Air Patrol and has trained
numerour pilots.
In 1992, he flew nearly 8,000 miles around the perimeter
of the United States in a 1939 Piper Cub J-4 with a
top speed of 75 mph, no radio, or heater.
Please remember that the prop is the most dangerous
part of an airplane, it can kill or cripple in an instant.
Submitted 3.27.98 by Fred C
I was at a dealer fly-in. In the very light wind, one
of the dealers was working with his parachute. His aircraft
was on the ground with the engine off. He was trying
to get the wind to catch the chute to use it like a
big kite. He would pull the lines to allow the wind
to catch the chute. The wind only partially inflated
the chute. Another dealer walked by and said that he
does not do that any more. He said had played with his
chute like that on a windy day and the wind caught the
chute and pulled the entire aircraft off the ground
out of his reach. He said he had visions of $ 14,000
worth of machine flying into the next county. Fortunately
the wind died and his machine came down with no damage.
I am sure he very quickly collapsed the chute. So, do
not play with the chute on a windy day.
Submitted 3.25.98 by SkyKing
Just last week we were discussing what machines roll
over. Guess what, they all do. Went up yesterday, winds
around 10-12 mph. Had a good flight, 45 mph with wind,
10 mph the other way. flew for an hour, getting dark
and time to come home.
Doing down leg I checked the wind sock and it showed
winds comming from the west, so did final with machine
pointed straight west. Great landing, killed engine,
just rolling to stop, went to pull lines in and winds
changed from west to south and guess what. The chute
pulled over to the side and took me over. Noticed a
couple of cars pulled over to watch me so as fast as
I could, unhooked seat belt, climbed out and walk to
trailer to take off helmet and flight suit like its
was no big deal.
Went back to machine and rolled it over to check if
any damage. Only thing that happen was strobe light
lens came off. The Buckeye held up to the claims that
they are well built. I dont think there was any pilot
error except mabye the winds were a little strong and
shifting to be flying, but at least I now have the experience
of knowing what a roll over feels like. Boy, what a
great machine, cant wait to get up again.
Submitted 3.23.98 by Ron B.
Three years ago a PPC instructor in/around Edmonton
Alberta tried taking off in a hay field with baled hay
on the field and gusting crosswinds. Both he and his
passenger are in wheelchairs for life as paraplegic
and partial quadraplegic (or partial quadraplegic and
quadraplegic). The instructor/pilot is worst off.
The passenger showed up at a show I was displaying
at; sad story.
Submitted 3.18.98 by T.C.
Incidentally, I heard of a flying wire tang breaking
years ago in California, but the pilot landed safely
and uneventfully on the safety tang/wire assembly. The
'tang breaking incident' occured in Simi Valley, CA
around 1990 - the information was relayed through a
dealer who got it straight from Dean. Both '90 and '91
model Buckeye's came equipped with tangs as a method
of connecting the eighth inch cable, flying wires.
[ snip ]
....I learned from riggers that [ nylon ripstop sail
repair ] tape is only a quick fix and over time the
glue will saturate the nylon, turn brittle and create
a bad situation. From there, you're looking at replacing
the entire cell, or replacing the small patch with a
bigger patch, and so on. I strongly recommend consulting
a professional rigger anytime there's a question about
the canopy.
Submitted 3.16.98 by Nick
As promised, here are a couple of reports that might
help others. The moral of both is to check and then
double check everything, and to expect the unexpected!
I fly a single-seat UK built powered parachute called
the Powerchute Raider. The two steering lines are fed
through a couple of holes in a rectangular steel plate
above one's head. There are handles, below the plate,
which are attached to the lines - and steering is achieved
by pulling down on these handles. That had always happened,
until the day the left handle just came away in my hand!
The steering line was now streaming out behind the canopy,
otherwise everything was OK. No panic. I carefully tucked
the redundant handle into my flying suit and tried to
reach up to pull one of the rear lines as a makeshift
steering line. It was hard, very hard! Although the
flight back and landing were reasonably uneventful (a
fast landing, with no flare of course) I was shocked
that the line had broken, as I had considered myself
careful about checking all of these kevlar lines. The
post-mortem revealed that the line had worn out where
it was fed through the hole in the steel plate. It had
abraded at the thickest part, where the line is folded
back on itself, and it was therefore less easy to feel
the damage. Subsequently I epoxied in chromed eyelets
to reduce friction, and also attached secondary steering
lines down to the rear hang-points (also on the plate
above) where I could comfortably grab them if this should
happen again. Of course it never did....something else
did...
The Raider has an alloy tubular footrest that feeds
through the steel front wheel brackets. After a while
this gets worn and needs replacing, which I had had
done by qualified personnel. Another day, and another
flight out of a rectangular grass strip, set in a field
of three foot high wheat. I found myself climbing out
over the crop at around 50ft when I realised the engine
was slowly dying on me; then I realised that the foot
throttle assembly was simply rotating forward the harder
I tried to accelerate. Straight ahead the field dropped
away. In light winds I decided to try a gentle turn,
but loosing power all the time the inevitable happened
and I landed fully flared into the crop, hoping for
a softish landing. To my horror the canopy just kept
on flying, the nose wheel dug in, and I and the Raider
rapidly rolled forwards. Hanging from your harness and
smelling gasoline is not a good combination! After dropping
out, I find I am in no pain, and after careful scrutiny
no damage to the wing, lines or trike unit - so a quick
fix to the throttle unit (a couple of strong bungees
do the trick) and we are soon up again to enjoy what's
left of the summer evening. The problem in this case
was that one of two rivet's securing a collar on the
alloy footrest had partially sheared off - a quick pre-flight
showed nothing. The moral again is to pre-flight looking
for problems, not looking for (and expecting) no problems!
Apart from these minor incidents, the Raider has given
me many hours of pleasure, sometimes high above the
clouds at 7,000ft or so, but more often very low down!
I fly it in stable conditions and like to think that
if I look after it it will look after me!
Safe flying, Nick
Submitted 3.15.98 by R.K.
Today as I was leaving the local airport I was informed
that 2 people had flown a PPC into 2 parked cars.
The 2 individuals in this accident were seen on the
day before by one of the regulars out here having difficulty
getting the chute to kite properly. His comments to
me were "they didn't have a clue".
The aircraft they were flying was a Parascender. (not
that it matters)
Not sure on the all the details yet. I do know that
the 2 cars that were damaged were 1998 models. The Jax
Port Authority, in thier infinite wisdom, has been storing
imported cars on one of the UL runways. (we have 2)
There are currently over 10,000 vehicles sitting on
the runway and adjacent grass. They ran out of room
for the imports on Blount Island. The asian economy
has caused the import auto makers to get as many vehicles
into the country as fast as possible.
These guys could have concievably totaled 3 or 4 of
the autos. They are parked with their bumpers touching
and just enough room to open the doors. Kind of like
the mall at X-mas.
I was also told that they were possibly from the local
Naval Base. NAS Cecil Field.
--------------- D.H Replies:
[ I asked the local trainer about this ] He was telling
me that the day before the same two guys were taking
off at Herlong Field when the canopy was on one side
when they gave it full power. The PPC had a 582 and
spun the cart 180 degrees before it came to a rest.
The pilot are two military guys with very little experience.
Now I can see where the idea of taking a statement
and repeating it, repeating it, etc. etc. can get something
blown out of proportion when other people decide to
"go out on a limb".
--------------- Paracender Replies:
First of all, it was a Parascender, sold by the factory
and the pilot was trained here. Secondly, it was the
US Dept of Navy's aircraft. That particular day, it
was being flown in front of a bunch of Navy brass -
so it was a little embarrassing alright. The pilot had
taken off, flown some manuevers (apparently only flying
left turns) when he tried to turn right and discovered
the steering line was not responsive. It was wrapped
around the outrigger arm. Rather than simply reach out
and unhook it (as he was taught) he panicked. He glanced
off two cars (I believe). Ended up landing safety. Anyone
else having done it, it would have probably been no
big deal. But, being the military, they had to report
it to all the official channels. Not sure how much damage
was done to the cars. But they have to order a new leaf
spring assembly!
I'd also like to point out that these guys have been
flying the wheels off the craft since they got it last
fall/winter. Their "orders" have been to fly
it iin every conceivable weather condition likely for
the testing of the unit for suitability for their purposes.
So, let's dispell a few "rumors" before they
get repeated as gospel truth:
"assumed they had no training, built it themselves,
and were trying to install the chute" - wrong,
wrong, wrong. Three of them were trained here. We assisted
with the assembly of their craft. We trimmed their chute.
"didn't have ONE hour in the air prior to this
and less than 3 take-offs" - wrong again. As mentioned,
they've been flying as much as they could since about
last October-November.
"these guys could have conceivable totaled 3 or
4 of the autos" - no, minor damage is all I understood.
"the same two guys were taking off......two military
guys with very little experience" - everyone does
start somewhere and we are not all
Submitted 3.16.98 by Rob
.....FYI for the rest of the listers. Richard and I
landed at old Imeson airport. I got quite a wake-up
call when I did pre-flight before I took off again.
My muffler came off its mount (inverted engine) which
meant that it was being held in place by the springs
and the safety wire. The local airport (our cars) was
located 20 miles away, as the crow flies. Richard had
some extra bungee cords, which we used to secure the
muffler.
This brings up a point that I would like us all to
entertain (especially those of us that like to go cross-country).
What should be included in an emergency tool kit which
would be kept in the plane.
Submitted 3.15.98 by Ken L
On the news I hear that a man/woman were killed March
14 as they flew their PPC into a powerline near the
city of Medicine Hat in southern Alberta, Canada. I
live in the northern part of said province.
[ FULL ARTICLE from the Alberta Report ABOVE ]
-------------- Ron B Replies:
And at the Abbottsford International Air Show (one
of the largest in the world) a powered parachute hit
a parked car during the show (have not been able to
determine make of car or PP).
-------------- Ron B Submits full article:
Note: This is copied word for word with paragraphs
and indents intact.
by Michael Lau - Calgary Sun
A Medicine Hat man and his teenaged daughter were killed
on the weekend when their power-operated parachute slammed
into power lines and dropped onto the ice-covered South
Saskatchewan River.
The girl's distraught mother and stepdad said the 16-year-old
was repeatedly warned not to ride in the ultralight
aircraft.
Leia Fawn Steele and David Westley Steele, 44, both
of Medicine Hat, were flying in the craft around 4 p.m.
Saturday (March 14, 1998 parenthesis mine) when it hit
hydro lines over the river between Medicine Hat and
Redcliff.
"When they did that, it collapsed the chute -
then they just fell 30 metres straight down," said
Medicine Hat-Redcliff RCMP Const. Jim Nieman.
The aircraft resembles a three-wheeled go-cart with
a rear-mounted engine and big propeller. A parachute
provides lift.
Leia lived with her 14-year-old sister Lacey, mother
Penny Arrenegado and step-father Ernie Arrenegado.
Leia and Lacey were spending the weekend with their
father, who runs an oil equipment rental business, when
the tragedy happened.
Ernie said Leia had been told on several occasions
not to ride in the parachute.
"I think if Penny had any idea they were going
to do this, she would have phoned out there," Ernie
said yesterday. "(David) never should have had
her in that bloody plane."
"That thing is a deathtrap."
Leia attended Grade 10 at Medicine Hat high school
and was an award-winning poet and speechmaker.
-------------- Ron B Comments:
Apparently Mr. Steele took delivery of his new PPC
two weeks earlier and had not yet begun his course of
instruction with the instructor. He apparently took
his daughter flying on the experience of an introductory
flight(s?). He did not have so much as a student permit
(required in Canada for solo flight), let alone the
instructor licence required to carry a student.
Which I guess goes to show you that anyone can fly
these aircraft. Not necessarily safely, however. No
wonder the daughter had been warned not to fly in the
PPC with her dad!
-------------- Ken L Submits another article:
I believe it happened on March 15, 1998; saw it on
TV (the channel where you *read* the news. A friend
told me he'd seen it in the paper up here in Grande
Prairie, Alberta. I asked him to save me the paper,
but he dropped only the clipping in my mailbox. Here
it is in full:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Two die in crash of power parachute."
Medicine Hat (CP)- A 44-year-old man and his 16-year-old
daughter died when the powered parachute he was operating
crashed into electrical lines.
The accident ocurred at 4 P.M. Saturday along the South
Saskatchewan River west of Medicine Hat. David Westley
Steele and Leia Fawn Steele, both of the Medicine Hat
area were pronounced dead at the scene.
"It appears that the power chute became involved
with the power lines and plummeted to the ice below,"
said Redcliff RCMP Const. Ben Draper. He said the pair
likely died instantly.
David Steele, who owned a drilling services company,
had "limited experience" with powered parachutes
and had only recently purchased one, Draper said.
Submitted 3.13.98 by Pat
My 2 cents worth....if you are watching your canopy
(which you should be) it is your first warning , if
its trying to fly one direction and you are going another,
steering to get under the canopy is in order before
any more power is added, once you are square with the
front edge ( same amount of wing is seen when looking
straight ahead and up) you're ready to add more power
and lift off. THE CHUTE HAS TO BE STABLE AND NOT OSSICLATING--SIDE
TO SIDE ALSO. If you think that you are going to catch
it when it gets on center before it has chance to go
to the other side (BIG MISTAKE) you are real close to
things turning to s___.
My suggestion is if you ever feel on side lift before
the other KILL THE ENGINE things will get better from
there I promise. Trying to power out could get you in
the air or get you hurt or at least hurt your pocket
book ( after the wife kicks your butt and reminds you
every time you fly from then on to be more careful)
you will wish you had killed that engine..
I have seen 1 Buckeye tip over, the pilot ,a lady,
was going to fly my new PD wing (she has over 300 hrs)
never a roll over or mishap ( she flys twin and single
engine ParaPlane and a Buckeye Falcon) she started a
slow taxi , chute over head ,inflated , stable, suddenly
the chute turned to the left and continued to turn until
it was completly headed in the opposite direction, she
had cut power as soon as the chute turned off center
, but still the chute pulled the plane slowly over.
Damage--- one embarrased pilot, one bruised ego, virginity
lost, and a sore ankle.
Don't really have an explanation as to why the chute
did what it did (dust devil maybe) it didn't come up
and dive, it was stable and straight ahead for a while
and with a causious taxi and light wing loading it just
turned, damnest thing I ever saw. The front wheel was
light enough at one point that the plane turned 90 degrees,
lost lift at that point and the wind pulled the plane
on its side. Got a good laugh , sat the plane back up,
layed the chute back out and flew. If the engine had
not been cut things may not have been so funny and the
plane could have suffered more damage. A roll over is
one thing a violent roll over is another. CUT IT OFF
!!!!
Submitted 3.13.98 by Pilot
Just curious, anyone know of any roll overs that were
not as a direct result of getting at an angle to the
wind? I did one on my home made as a result of getting
at about (I'd guess) no more than 20 degrees to the
wind. Trashed both the wooden prop and my pride.:-(
Submitted 3.13.98
Been 3 weeks since I've flown last so it takes a bit
of cranking and dorking with the choke to get the monster
fired up; finally starting to idle normally... Doing
my walk around, looking for weirdness.
Lo!!!
The bracket holding the oil and coolant overflow reserviors
is literally flapping in the breeze. Makes a good case
for doing a POST flight inspection, too. Musta happened
during my last flight. Man, am I lucky it didn't completely
fail in flight and go into the prop or break loose and
stop oiling the 582. Man, am I fortunate...on the one
hand.
On the other, I don't have what I need to fix this,
so B-A-C-K to the town (10 miles, each way). The bracket
failed cuz I used some wimpy-ass screws instead of the
wimpy-ass rivets which were suggested by the 6C manual.
No more.... At the hardware store I actually find some
aircraft-grade, 1/4" hex bolts/nuts. 1.5 hours
later I've fixed the problem "forevermore".
Submitted 3.12.98
Also, Buckeye's before...I'm not sure exactly....around
'93 (?) had a regular bolt on the fan guard that would
occasionally catch the flying wire on take-off, and
if you weren't aware of the condition and went to power
-- a rollover was in the making. I personally witnessed
such an occurrence at a Bucky Fly-In (have documentary
photos)
Submitted 3.11.98 by Elmer ehanners@peachnet.campus.mci.net
Will PPC carbs ice up?
After reading the Flight Forum "Carb Heat Plus"
in January 98 issue of Flight Training magazine, vivid
memories of three ParaPlane amigos and their visit from
the ice man played back as if the incident happened
yesterday. Since there are many PM1's and PM2's with
twin solo engines still flying, thought it may be worthwhile
to tell the story. Other engines used today in PPC's
and other ultralights may be susceptible to icing also.
First, a quote from the article. "I've preached
this sermon so often...but I continue to run across
unbelievers (or those that don't know) so here it is
again....The engine was losing power because the fuel
mixture was too rich. This was caused by ice restricting
and disturbing airflow in the carburetor....Chris did
a fine job with what he had to work with. He just didn't
have all the knowledge he should have had."
Dr. Jerry L. Robinson,
Director of Aviation Programs, Henderson State
University, Arkadelphia, AK.
Although the article was about icing in a GA aircraft
equipped with a carb heat system, the results of carb
icing is essentially the same in our vehicles and we
don't have the means to get rid of the ice.
On an October morning three relatively inexperienced
PP pilots (8hr, 12hrs, and 35hrs) took off in PM2's
from their local airport at 0800 for a flight around
the town. Patchy clouds about 2000', wind NW at 5-10mph,
Temp 40deg, Dew Point 40deg (GA pilots stop laughing).
About one mile from the airport on the return leg all
three PP's started losing power. First pilot at 500'
agl felt acft descending and max rpm fell to 4200. He
was forced to land immediately in a muddy corn field
(unharmed). Pilot #2 at 1000' descended to see if pilot
#1 was ok. At 200' #2 realized he could barely maintain
level flight, grabbed the ever present carb tuning screwdriver
and quickly leaned both carbs, climbed and prayed for
enough power to make the runway safely (he did). Pilot
#3 at 1800' lost power but managed a straight in approach
and down wind landing (barely made the runway).
After landing and discussion (in ignorance) all three
performed a preflight engine run-up. Engines work perfectly.
Then a field-side conference with a very knowledgable
and patient GA pilot told them about icing conditions
and the effect of carb icing. A proper weather brief
that morning was cause for GA pilots to put carb heat
on. With a fore knowledge of the relationship between
air temp and dew point these PP's would have stayed
on the trailers that day.
A rule of thumb is: carb icing can occur up to 70degF
outside air temp when outside air temp (OAT) and dew
point (DP) are within 4degF. An indicator of icing altitude
can be figured as follows. Icing Alt = (OAT - DP) divided
by 4.5 times 1000. (Read Understanding The Sky by Dennis
Pagen for better understanding of this subject).
The morning the amigos flew - OAT was 40, DP was 40.
Icing condition was present at ground level. They were
lucky the ice build-up effect was near the end of the
flight. It seems that butterfly type carbs, like those
used on the PM1 & PM2, are more susceptible than
other types.
Have you experienced reduced power in flight but everything
checked OK on the ground?
Submitted 3.5.98 by Tom
Pilots Name: Tom
Pilots Ratings and Endorsements: signed off on buckeye
Pilots total airtime:50hrs
Pilots total airtime in this exact type of unit: 20hrs
Pilots total number of Flights: 69
Pilots total number of Flights during the last 90 days:
20
Date of the accident or incident: 7/30/1996
Flying site: plowed field
Nearest town: Brentwood
Description of injuries: broke left leg
Identify any passenger, crew or property injured or
damaged: none
Description of aircraft damage: both main rails broken
at seat bolt
Aircraft make and model: 1991 buckeye single seat
Harness make and model: seat belt lap and sholder
Brief, objective description of the Accident or Incident:
landed in rough plowed field to refuel. take off took
longer due to field condition. aircraft hit an embankment
at end of field. main rails borke breaking my leg.
Weather conditions: 75 degrees sunny and warm 2 to
3 miles an hour wind from north west
How could this accident have been avoided?: pilot error.
should have abortted take off. I did not give myself
enough run way in bad field conditions. the old go for
it cost me.
What would you like other pilots to learn from this
event: field conditions look different from the air.
I should have aborted take off and gave myself more
runway. this accident could have been avoided by paying
attention to groung speed, overhead chute depolyment,
and obstecals in take off path.
What Action was taken as a result of this event?: It
took one year to heal, and alot of reflection. I sold
the broken Buckeye and bought a sixchuter. The old main
rails on the buckeye were not cromemolly. The new buckeye's
and sixchuter's are cromemolly and should not break
as easlly. I'm still flying but am a better pilot bcause
of it.
Submitted 3.5.98 by Tim Christopher (tchristopher@flinet.com)
The time was about 1990. Tuning in to David Lettermen
one night, there's some guy being interviewed talking
about powered parachutes. The guy was from.....Arkansas.
It went something like this:
"Oh, I'm not a real pilot, I fly one of those
'sissy' machines called a powered parachute.".
........"I was just flying along one evening, when
all of a sudden the thing just took a horrifying dive
straight down. I had plowed in nose first and was knocked
unconcious for awhile. When I regained consciousness
it was starting to get dark. I had a two-way radio but
couldn't talk. I could only hear a friend talking to
me, reassuring me that I would be found having realized
by now, that something had gone wrong. Now, these things
have a range of about thirty miles and it was starting
to get real cold, I was waiting there all alone in the
dark wilderness, you know, so I started looking around
for stuff to burn and there wasn't much, just alot of
rock. So I picked up what little scrub there was lying
around and tryed starting a fire. Have you ever tryed
setting fire to scrub brush? So, i got out my wallet
and took out all the paper I had which included a McDonald's
(note: Micky D's fast food) lottery ticket that I had
been carrying around for some time, and had forgotten
about. I used what cash I had and my driver's license
but I hesitated to use the ticket because, well, you
never know for sure, right? And then, and then, as my
little fire started going out I contemplated the ticket
I held in my hand. Should I throw it in the fire? I'm
not REALLY going to win a million bucks, shoot. And
just then, I heard the voice of my friend coming up
along the rim of the canyon calling out for me. I was
saved." ....."and when we got back into town
I told my friend to stop in at the resturant because
I wanted to check out the ticket".........
The guy from Arkansas was on the show because he had
won the McDonald's lottery. True story.
Submitted 3.3.98 by E.H?
Why do I ask the stall speed question? Because, untill
I stalled a paraplane PSE2 w/Hi-Pro chute, I too thought
our chutes were stall proof.
Only after describing what happened to the manufacturer's
staff engineer did I learn that the stall speed was
11mph or 17mph depending on which chute trim configuration
was in use. Also, that concecutive 360 degree turns
at low power setting will cause the chute to stall!!!!.
Also, that the wing will recover within about 60' IF
THE PILOT KNOWS THE PROPER RECOVERY TECHNIQUE. I didn't
and crashed from 250' virtually straight down causing
nearly a thousand dollars in damage.
There is no mention, caution, or warning about stalls
in any ParaPlane publication, nor any other manufacturer's
info that I know of. Consequently, since we are not
told outright that our wings will stall, there is no
stall recovery procedure offered to my knowledge.
My background? PPW pilot since June '92, ParaPlane
Dealer since July '93. Flight time = 153hrs. Logged
over 400 ppw flights. Conducted over 300hrs ParaPlane
First Flight and BFI training. ASC rating = AFI(ppw).
Member ASC, EAA, NAFI.
We need to know from the manufacturers: what the stall
speed is for each wing model; what flight regimes are
most likely to cause a stall; how to recognize a stall
condition; how much altitude is needed to recover in
case of a stall; and, what techniques the pilot should
use to effect a safe recovery.
-----------------------------------
Bill Gargano, Quantum Parachutes, Inc.
Powered Parachute Stalls
BACKGROUND
Nancy (Quantum Parachutes, Inc.) has been monitoring
the group discussion relating to powered parachute stalls
and suggested that I provide some insight from personal
experience. For those of you that don't know me, my
work with powered parachutes began in late 1982 with
the first Buckeye powered parachute wing built by GQ
Security for the vehicle designed by Jack McCornack
and my work with powered parachutes has continued non-stop
throughout the years. Over those years, we (Quantum
Parachutes, Inc.) have tested powered parachute designs
to their extremes. That testing has shown us many things.
STALL PROOF? NOT EXACTLY.
My knowledge and experience has shown me that there
are two general statements that can be made about powered
parachute stalls. (1) Given proper assembly, training,
care, preflight, and use (including weather and terrain
conditions being within the vehicle and pilots ability),
it is almost impossible to stall a Buckeye powered parachute.
(note that this statement is likely true for other powered
parachutes, but I do not have design information on
other powered parachute wings to be able to make that
statement) (2) All powered parachute wings are capable
of stalling given the correct conditions.
WHAT CONTROLS THE SHAPE OF A POWERED PARACHUTE?
To better understand what causes a stall, we must look
at what a powered parachute wing is. It is obviously
not rigid. These parachute based wings cannot retain
their complete inflated shape when not pressurized and
are therefore capable of changing shape while in-flight
when aggravated to do so. The fact that there is nothing
more than air maintaining the wings rigidity tells us
that any change in air pressure, no matter how it is
caused, affects the performance of a powered parachute
wing. The internal air pressure must always be greater
than the external pressure, or the wing will stop flying.
In other words, stall.
Powered parachute wings have a multitude of cells.
When pressurized, each cells three dimensional inflated
shape changes based upon the total amount of weight
that is being carried (wing loading). All powered parachute
wings change shape with changes in wing loading, and
therefore perform differently when flying solo or tandem.
Increases in weight lower the effective, or flying,
aspect ratio and increase leading edge drag due to changes
in mouth opening shape.
Take a look at a picture of any powered parachute wing
in flight. Notice that the wing arcs (some more than
others) spanwise. This provides a large component of
the systems excellent stability. Notice that the vehicle
is well below the wing tips. This places the center-of-gravity
far below the aerodynamic center of the wing, providing
a neutral, hands off, flight mode that makes the vehicle
very easy to fly and similar to a flying a parachute.
Look at the profile of the wing and you can see that
it is permanently set at one angle. This angle defines
the flight envelope of the wing. Notice that the steering
system or brakes are attached to the trailing edge and
when pulled, induce drag. This is the quickest way to
perform a controlled turn or to cause dynamic changes
to the system, such as a landing flare. If you pull
in both sets of brake lines far enough, the wing will
stall.
WHAT IS A POWERED PARACHUTE STALL?
By definition, a powered parachute wing has stalled
when the wings internal air pressure is equal to or
less than the external pressure, and the airflow around
the wing has separated. The wing collapses, and the
rate-of-descent increases rapidly, until the wing is
able to re-pressurize. Control authority, while severely
weakened in a full stall, is maintained via the steering
system. This definition describes both steady-state
and dynamic stalls.
There is one other type of stall, often called a metastable
stall, that can occur with some powered parachute wing
suspension line trim settings. A powered parachute wing
is in a metastable stall when the wing has been dynamically
pushed to a very high angle-of-attack relative to the
center-of gravity, and all trailing edge control inputs
have been locked out. This high angle-of-attack sets
the wing slightly behind the vehicle instead of overhead.
The wing is stuck in this position resulting in a high
rate-of-descent with no steering control.
HOW TO MAKE A POWERED PARACHUTE STALL.
The easiest way to stall any powered parachute is to
drop the engine to idle (lighter steering line pressure);
push both steering controls as far as they will go;
reach out for the lower steering lines and pull them
in until the wing stalls. Done quickly, these actions
will result in a dynamic stall, where the wing rapidly
drops behind the vehicle, the upper surface of the wing
collapses, the vehicle swings back under the wing, and
the rate-of-descent rapidly increases. Pulling the steering
lines in further will cause the lower surface to collapse
as well. Pulling the steering lines in slowly will cause
a steady-state stall. At the onset of a steady-state
stall you can feel the wing rock slightly aft, then
forward. If at this point you were to gently let out
some of the steering line, the wing would not go into
a stall. However, if you continue to hold in the steering,
or pull in more, the wing will fall off, aft, and stall.
UNEXPECTED STALLS.
A powered parachute wing is affected by weather and
terrain. For example, a wind shear, or severe turbulence,
can cause anything from minor disjointed movement of
the system, to a complete collapse of the wing. The
severity of the disturbance is related to your wing
loading and piloting. The key to avoiding unexpected
weather and terrain induced stalls, is for the pilot-in-command
to understand the vehicle, the wing, and micro-meteorology.
If you always fly in good conditions, you are not likely
to ever be pushed into an unexpected stall. If you choose
to fly in questionable conditions, or areas, you are
placing yourself (and your passenger) at risk.
STALL RECOVERY.
Powered parachute wings want to inflate and stay inflated.
When pushed into a stall, the wing doesn't want to stay
there. It wants air to re-pressurize. To get it re-pressurized,
you need to let out just enough steering line to allow
it to re-inflate. For example, if you push both steering
lines to full stroke and a stall occurs, you would then
change your steering to three quarters to one half stroke.
This will allow the wing some forward velocity to re-inflate,
without giving it the dynamic ability to fly so far
forward that you would momentarily be able to see over
the trailing edge. This method also significantly reduces
the altitude required for recovery and maximizes system
stability during stall recovery.
CONCLUSION
All powered parachute wings are capable of stalling.
The pilot-in-command must pay attention to wing loading,
weather and terrain conditions to help avoid entering
a stall. The pilot-in-command must understand the powered
parachute system. The pilot-in-command must know and
respect their own limitations and the limitations of
the powered parachute.
__________________________________________________
Bill Gargano
Quantum Parachutes, Inc.
Woodland, California
voice: (916) 661-0524
fax: (916) 661-0528
internet: bill@parachutes.com
Man can fly without motors, but not without knowledge
and skill." - Wilbur Wright, 1900
Submitted 2.26.98 by Elmer ehanners@peachnet.campus.mci.net
Make & Model: ParaPlane PSE-2
Engine: Rotax 503 SC 46hp Elec Start
Prop: Warp Drive 3 Blade Composite
Canopy: Hi-Pro Assy Nr. C1.548H
A/C TT: 10hrs
Pilot Hrs/Nr. PPC Flts: 62/186
Steering Set: 360deg Turn Rate 23sec
Date of Accident: August 6, 1994 About 5:30pm
Place: Roosevelt Memorial Airport, Warm Springs, GA.
Weather: Ceiling 3600' SC, Temp 84deg, Dew Pt. 70deg,
Wind
060(Variable) 5-10mph, Alt 30.04, Density Alt 2400'
Summary: Was performing functional check flight prior
to student solo. Take-Off and climb to 500' AGL was
uneventful. At 500' performed turn rate check. Recorded
23sec 360deg turns left & right. Descended to about
300', reduced power to idle and commenced 360deg turns
to the right to loose alt. Half way through 3rd turn,
heading down wind(250deg), experienced a violent jerk
to the right, maybe 30-40deg bank. Instinctively released
right steering input and added full left steering input(because
a/c was heading away from intended landing area). A/C
turned slowly left and stopped turning at about heading
080 (wind at 060). I sensed a rapid loss of altitude
during the left turn and added full power. The A/C continued
the rapid descent even at full power. Glide ratio seemed
to be less than 1 to 1. A/C would not turn completely
into the wind and was drifting in crosswind. At about
30' cut engine. Right rear wheel touched first, then
nose wheel severed and nose box speared the ground and
flipped vehicle. Came to rest upside down. Pilot uninjured.
A/C suffered heavy damage.
Analysis(Best Guess): The wing speed decreased while
holding drag induced 360deg turns and loss of headwind
(about 10mph) caused right side of wing to stall. (The
manufacturer established the stall speed at about 17mph
for the wing in use. This info is not found in any literature
available to dealers or owners.) Once the wing stalled
it was at a high AoA. The full left turn input kept
the wing at high AoA resulting in a rapid rate of descent.
Adding full power pushed the airframe forward and further
increased the AoA agravating the stalled condition.
Consequently, the descent was almost straight down and
uncontrolled.
Cause: Pilot error. Performed consecutive 360 turns
at low power, did not recognize the stall condition,
and did not know a recovery technique.
Would you agree that a wing, fixed or flexible, will
not lift if the wing airspeed falls below that need
to overcome gross weight? Does your owners manual tell
you what that speed is for your canopy? Even though
it may be unlikely to happen, would you like to recognize
the symptoms of a stall?
And, should you ever encounter that condition would
you want to know what to to recovery?
The recommended recovery (not in print) for my ParaPlane
is:
1) Release steering input.
2) REDUCE power or leave power at low setting.
3) Wait for A/C to self-recover then add power to stop
descent.
---------------------------------------------- LH responds:
Thanks, Elmer ,
for your detailed explanation of the events of that
day. BTW, I've flew at Roosevelt's strip in Warm Springs
2 years ago. My brother Frank and I took our planes
up thru Ga. looking for different places to fly. Very
nice place, to be sure. What do you think caused the
violent jerk - do you think that the canopy suddenly
deflated on one corner? Did you get a chance to look
up at your canopy at any time during this frightful
period of time I'm sure? Were you able to see it partially
deflated, especially during the jerk?
After reading your synopsis, I'd have to agree with
you that it was some sort of a partial collapse of the
wing due to loss of lift from insufficient forward air
speed. I had a similar experience where I was making
a left 360 when I suddenly lost altitude. I did exactly
as your manual described - not because I knew to do
those things, it was purely instinctive in nature -
but I released the steering, waited for the plane to
level off, then increased power to stop the descent.
The loss of altitude, my response, and recovery of the
plane all occurred in less than 5 seconds, maximum,
so It must have been a very minor partial collapse which
recovered instantly when the steering bar was allowed
to come back to the neutral position. This was most
fortunate for me, because I was only 50 feet up at the
time. I was never able to see the chute in a deflated
stage however, so I can't say for sure that that is
what actually happened. But it is very similar to what
you described, but without the violent jerk. I do know,
however, I was probably the culprit, because at the
time I had been doing some R&D on cable lengths,
and after putting some larger cables on, had neglected
to lengthen the steering lines afterward. This resulted
in the chute's trailing edges being pulled down at least
a foot in the neutral position. So any pushing forward
of the steering bars would result in a severe deflection
of the trailing edge. I still maintained that these
chutes don't stall because of how mine reacted instantly
when allowed to recover along with the extremely fast
recovery time. I don't know why yours did not recover.
That seems to me to be the 64 K $ question. The bottom
line though is this - it did happen.
---------------------------------------------- RK responds:
Elmer, I was once in situation where the wing had folded
under on one side which caused the airframe to shift
to the other side of the wing. I went to full power
and flared the still flying side of the wing. The steering
line on the side that was folded under was totally slack
and I could not input flare into that side. Even at
full power I continued to spiral at an extreme speed
toward the ground. As soon as I slowed the motor to
an idle and released flare the wing reinflated.
The points you make in 1, 2 , and 3 are right on.
---------------------------------------------- Tim
Christopher (tchristopher@flinet.com) responds:
I've personally been witness twice to powered parachute
canopy failures that were captured on video. Once at
the Six Chuter factory in Yakima, WA, and the other
at Hop's PPC's in Walkerton, IN where I first took my
flight training back in '89. Both incidents involved
Paraplanes and both were caused by thermal activity
encountered low to the ground.
Ask any seasoned paraglider pilot experienced in mountain
flying and they will tell you that in particularly strong
thermals or up-drafts, canopy collapse can and will
sometimes occur; However, most all of these incidents
have happy endings whereby the canopy re-inflates after
a varying distance of vertical drop. Please note: There
are different parachute designs utilized for different
types of flying, parachuting, and paragliding activities.
Of these designs, those used for powered parachuting
(such as those used by Buckeye and Six-chuter), offer
the greatest overall stability, performance, and stall
resistance.
This is not the first Paraplane incident I have heard
about that resulted in flight termination. The only
incident I am aware of involving a Buckeye occurred
back in Indiana years ago, when a new, experimental
canopy was hastily installed without proper trim and
just after take-off, at about 100-150 ft. AGL, a combination
of full throttle and full left turn resulted in a canopy
collapse sending plane and pilot plummeting into the
corn field below breaking the plane's axle but uninjuring
the pilot.
Having managed an airport that supports an active drop
zone, I can tell you that it is not all that uncommon
for a skydiver to experience a canopy collapse due to
thermal activity, and most professional jumpers, when
asked, will acknowledge that when encountering a thermal
just prior to landing, injury can sometimes be the result.
The occurrence is rare - but it does happen.
There are other conditions that could also lead to
disaster: such as air turbulence, and/or vortices emanating
from other aircraft or even moving vehicles on the ground.
Completing a 360 degree turn in calm winds, you are
likely to encounter turbulence from your own prop. Position
your aircraft directly behind another and you will experience
a full force gale likely to twist the juice right out
of your canopy and you! Flying low to the ground in
strong winds at the edge of, behind, or between objects
such as trees or buildings can also hold the potential
for disaster. As a rule, pilots should always avoid
vortices and be aware of possible sources of air turbulence.
And then there's the killer. Wind shear. Years ago,
while attending a powered parachute fly-in I watched
a Paraplane make a perfect, albeit unintentional, landing
atop a rather tall Ponderosa pine tree due, in part,
to wind shear. But that's another story. If you would
like to hear more about it just write me back sometime,
I even have a picture showing the canopy draped over
the top of the tree with the airframe hanging, and the
pilot standing on a large branch just below it with
this big, embarrassed, Cheshire cat grin on his face.
Getting back to the videos. One of those starred Steve
Snyder (the man himself) and the other was ol' Hoppy
Hochstetler (the man himself), one of Steve's first
dealers. Both incidents happened because of the media.
(works for me).
Ideal flying of powered parachutes, on the average,
occurs mornings and evenings. This is when winds are
usually their calmest. During the late morning and afternoon
hours, the ground heats up and begins to generate thermals,
winds begin to whip around and whole weather systems
make their way across the vast landscape. All of these
later conditions make for bumpy rides in powered parachutes
and these times are better left for the birds, fixed
wings or gliders to fly. But you already know that,
right?
So what happens when you have a shot at reaching thousands,
perhaps millions of people to show off your wonderful
new flying machine ($$$) and you specifically tell them
to come early but they don't show up at your airpark
until afternoon because they had something else to do
that morning and they declare that it would be now,
or perhaps never? Murphy's Law, that's what. Whatever
can go wrong and did in both these incidents. A combination
of gusty winds and thermals caused the chutes to collapse,
and although they both re-inflated quickly enough, the
damage was already done; the media got what they came
for - "see, these things are dangerous!"
---------------------------------------------- SC responds:
Carlos, I spent some time discussing this with Dan
Thompson this morning. For those who do not know Dan,
he is one of the original three people that designed
the ParaPlane in 1982 and currently builds the ParaFlyer.
All of the stalls he is aware of in craft other than
and including the ParaPlane have been steady state stalls.
The canopy's in these stalls have gone from being a
wing to being a parachute. The canopy has actually fallen
to the rear of the craft far enough that the relative
wind is now hitting more of the bottom of the canopy
instead of flowing across the cells. There is apparantly
no recovery from this situation. The worst thing to
do is add power which would aggravate the situation
by adding more angle of attack on the wing. The most
common conditions to this happening have been in no
power descending turns or encountering a wind shear
with no power. The results of these stalls have only
included personal injury in 1 case, a broken back, but
most always have caused aircraft damage. I have witnessed
one of these stalls and it looked as though the craft
was descending almost vertical but not at a rate that
looked deadly although I am glad I was not the pilot.
The above information has been told to me by several
people that have been in this industry for many years.
I am sure there are other ways to stall and potentially
recover but the above seems to be the normal.
Submitted 2.22.98 by Bob Ogg rcppc@hotmail.com
I had a little problem today, while flying, actually
while taking off, I faced into the wind, it was blowing
5 mph steady, sw, and did my last min check, left (
outrigger, cables, lines and the air on that side. Right
( outrigger, cables, lines and air right ) No traffic
in the pattern, so I give her some throttle.
This was my third take off today, and the first two
were picture perfect. The chute poped up, even though
I hadn't rolled very far, the plane jerked as usual,
I looked up and the canopy was centered, so I gave it
a little more throttle. All of a sudden, the plane jerked
again, I looked up at the canopy, and it swung hard
left, and so fast I could't believe what I was seeing.
I have never seen a canopy fall so fast, so hard!
It lifted the plane on to two wheels. I knew I was
going to roll! I killed the plane, and at the same time
steered hard left. The plane set down right away, with
the canopy laying to the left side of it. Holly poop
my paints. After the plane stopped, I got out of my
belts, unpluged my IC, and started checking the plane.
What I found was the left steering line had wrapped
around the left wheel! Holly poo poo batman I would
say thats pilot error! I hate it when I do shi_ like
that. Im going to check, check, and check again. Learn
from me guys, I got a dirty diaper for that one!....After
I cleared the lines, I had a nice smooth take off. But
I spent 5 extra min. just on steering lines! I know,....you
tought me better. Guess Its back to school. See Ya.
Bob Ogg 777
Bucky writes in:
Exact same thing happened to me 2 weeks ago, Bob. No
damage here. Glad all turned out okay for you, too.
Submitted 2.11.98 by Scott Cunnyngham
I know of 2 stalls in the last year. One occured when
the pilot flew the unit with the attach cables in the
wrong CG hole for his weight. To much angle of attack
with too little pilot weight. The engine quit because
of carb icing at 5000' and without power the unit went
into a steady state stall. No injury to the pilot but
fairly heavy damage to the craft. This pilot has been
flying for 11 years.
The second happend in my WinDancer the Sunday after
Sun N Fun last year. This pilot was flying and encountered
a wind shear while doing 360's without power. Likewise,
the canopy went into a steady state stall and would
not recover. His decent was almost vertical. The pilot
was not injured but the craft did sustain some structural
damage. This pilot has being flying PPC's since 1984.
Both of these incidents can be traced to pilot error.
The 1st because of the CG adjustment "the craft
would have continued flying without power otherwise"
and the 2nd because he should not have been doing 360's
without power. The point is, PPC's can and do stall
and in both of the above cases both pilots have hundreds
if not thousands of hours and many years of exp.
Submitted 2.4.98
Pilot's Name: Jared Conover
Pilots total airtime: 2 Hrs
Pilots total airtime in this exact type of unit: 1 Hr
Pilots total number of Flights: 3
Pilots total number of Flights during the last 90 days:
2
Name of witness: David Flood II
Name of Reporter: David Flood II
Date of the accident or incident: January 24th, 1998
Flying site: Field
Nearest town: Morgan Hill
Description of injuries: Dragg'in Ass. (Bruised butt,
Ego)
Aircraft make and model: 1996 DK Beat Whisper GT Powered
Paraglider
Harness make and model. DK Beat
Brief, objective description of the Accident or Incident:
My buddy Jared was getting ready to purchase a new 1997
Whisper Plus a week later, so in the mean time he asked
if he could practice flying my unit. I agreed as long
as he flew calmly and responsibly. He did a perfect
launch from what I had tought him, (although I'm not
an instructor) but soon he was having so much fun he
decided to try low flybys. His first try he came within
a foot of the ground, drug the tips of his boots through
the dirt and climbed out. Just fine (but gutsy) so I
told him not to do that again (via radio). He did it
again. He didn't drag his feet this time, but he put
his legs straight out in front of him and the bottom
of the unit came about a foot from the ground. I told
him sternly not to try that again. He did it again.
(deja'vu) I watched as he again put his legs straight
out in front of him and do a hard instant butt landing.
The wing of course flew over him and crashed to the
ground, leading edge first, but with a slight headwind
blew back and blanketed him and the unit, causing me
panic, worrying about the nylon wing wrapping around
the hot exaust chamber. I was fortunate, the wing nor
lines touched any hot surface.
Well Jared has his own unit now, so that's probably
the last time I'll allow him to fly mine. Maybe one
day I'll submit one of my embarrassing moments in flight.........Maybe.
Weather conditions: Calm
Submitted 2.3.98
Just got back from Calgary Alberta, training, licensing,
and flying potential future PPCer's. Beautiful weather!
-13 degrees C. with little wind. I was taking a young
lady for a fam flight (the fun flight version) when
I looked back at the crowd from about 100 feet up, over
my right shoulder. I felt a little tug and watched the
face shield off my helmet sail back, drop about a foot,
and explode like a bomb when it hit the prop.
Well, I saw the thing explode and all sorts of things
go through your mind. Like, where did the shards go?
Sharp shards. Chute. Lines. Fuel Tank. Oh, boy! I was
looking at that explosion! This was one time where I
did not feel altitude is safer, went lower and looked
at the chute and lines as best I could from the pilot's
seat, turned, and landed. The fragments had gone out
through the fanguard (and mine is the double octagon
hoop with plastic spacers that Parascender makes). Well,
one spacer looked like I had taken anti-aircraft fire.
I checked every line and every square inch of the chute,
the fuel tank, fuel lines, everything for nicks and
cuts. Surprise! The Ivo prop is fine. I was able to
finish flying my customers.
The helmets are Comtronics Instruct-A-Com 2000 which
have three snaps along the visor. Looking at modifications
and alternatives now.
Please note that Pro-Com does recommend epoxying the
visor to the helmet.
Submitted 2.2.98 by Stan
Pilots Name: Stan
Pilots Ratings and Endorsements: PPC
Pilots total airtime: ~18
Pilots total airtime in this exact type of unit: ~18
Pilots total number of Flights: 25+
Pilots total number of Flights during the last 90 days:
6
Date of the accident or incident: 1.23.98
Flying site: North of DFW
Nearest town: Allen, Texas
Description of injuries: None
Description of aircraft damage: Parachute ripped
Aircraft make and model: Buckeye Eagle 503 single seat.
Brief, objective description of the Accident or Incident:
Parachute caught in prop. due to improper pre-flight
check.
Weather conditions: Clear, sunny.
How could this accident have been avoided? Change sequence
of pre-flight check.
Provide a Report Review, include any Recommendations
which resulted: On a great day to fly my Buckeye, I
deviated from my normal sequence of pre-flight checking
my plane. Normally I unpack and layout the chute first,
and after the plane is in take-off configuration, I
begin my pre-flight inspection. This time, I performed
my pre-flight on the vehicle, checking all the normal
spots for wear, loosness, completeness etc. and after
assuring myself that the trike was ready, I layed out
my parachute.
When laying out the chute I always stretch the trailing
edge just under the prop guard and then clear the lines
and look for all the normal things. After satisfying
myself that all was well, I primed the plane, turned
on the switch, braced myself against the trike, called
'clear prop' and pulled the cord. It started fine, a
little rough, but I gave it a bit of throttle to smooth
out.
The Rotax 503 was purring at about 2K when I heard
IT. IT was a strange Flap Flap sound that I immediately
recognized as something caught up in my prop. DAMN!
I shut off the engine and walked back to the back and
found about two and a half feet of the center, trailing
edge of the chute was torn. I also found a couple of
nicks an inch or two long on the underside of the foil.
DANM! It seems that since I pre-flight checked the trike
before pre-flight checking the chute I didn't push the
trike forward away from the parachute. I would normally
have had to push the trike up in order to get between
it and the chute to check the prop and engine.
Now I was staring at a couple of hundred bucks worth
of repairs, and a lost opportunity to fly. Luckily I
was at my Buckeye dealer's field and was able to remove
the chute and give it to them to send out for repair.
This could have been a LOT worse, as if a line had caught
in the prop, the whole chute could have been dragged
into harms way and shredded like so much cheese. Instead,
I got an expensive reality check.
What would you like other pilots to learn from this
event: Make sure that you perform your pre-flight checks
the same each time. Use a check list if that's what
it takes to maintain consistency. Also, make one last
check to make sure that your machine is truely ready
to fly before you start it up.
What Action was taken as a result of this event?: A
costly repair, a lesson learned.
Submitted 1.97
Note this is a very old clipping:
"A Portland man flying an unregistered ultralight
aircraft suffered third-degree burns Wednesday when
he became tangled in power lines.
[____], 35, of Portland, was flying his paraplane near
Keefer Highway and Knox Road in Ionia County's Orange
Township when he struck power lines and encountered
hot wires, a Michigan State Police dispatcher said.
It was unclear where he recieved medical treatment.
The Federal Aviation Administration's Lansing office
was called out to investigate the 9:30 pm accident.
A paraplane is a light aircraft with a seat, three wheels
and some type of motor, along with a parachute."
Submitted 1.19.98 by Jim
Pilots Name: Jim
Pilots Ratings and Endorsements: Flying PPCs since 1992
Pilots total airtime: ~50 hours
Pilots total airtime in this exact type of unit: ~50
hours
Pilots total number of Flights: ~70
Pilots total number of Flights during the last 90 days:
3
Date of the accident or incident: January 4th, 1998
Flying site: Phillips Farm
Nearest town: Germantown, MD
Description of injuries: None
Description of aircraft damage: None
Aircraft make and model: Modified 1984 Paraplane
Brief, objective description of the Accident or Incident:
Loss of sufficient power to maintain flight after take-off.
Weather conditions: Clear with winds below 5 mph. Air
Temp.=64 degrees (in January!).
Provide a Report Review, include any Recommendations
which resulted: After several successful flights on
a beautiful afternoon, I took-off for my last flight
of the day. I had plenty of power during my climb-out
but as soon as I reached 200' AGL the engine began to
reduce RPMs to a point I knew I wasn't going much farther
(in the air).
I immediately turned-back to the field and made a hasty
and quick landing with the wind at my back. The relationship
between the tachometer and altimeter, even though they
aren't connected by any wires, always amazes me ;)
I packed the chute and proceeded to check out my Zenoah
2 cyl. 45HP engine. My instruments include a tach, Altimeter,
CHT, EGT and running time meter. Everything looked fine
and the plugs had 1 hour on them. I ran the engine up
on the ground until it red-lined time and time again
with no problem except I noticed that the EGT was reading
really low (like 300). I gave it the old pilot "tap
on the glass" routine and it sprang to life...
momentarily.
EGT problem was caused by a broken wire in the instrument
panel area. RPM problems were caused by carb. jetting.
I had "winter-time jets" installed... larger
to allow for a richer burn needed in cold weather. Although
they worked fine earlier in the day, I needed a leaner
burn later in the day.
Since my EGT wasn't working correctly, I reluctantly
decided to pack it in, since having it would be beneficial
in determining fuel/air mixture, should my conclusion
on the jets be totally wrong.
What would you like other pilots to learn from this
event: 1. Always get some altitude after your take-off!
By having some, I had the "luxury" of making
it back to the field. Chances are, if your engine is
going to fail, it is more likey to fail at max. power
conditions.
2. Although I could have tried taking-off again without
the EGT working, I resisted the overwhelming condition
known at NASA as "go-fever" and packed-up
for the day. Since I paid for the darn thing, I decided
I may as well use it.
What Action was taken as a result of this event?: I
now keep a closer eye on the temperature and its affect
on the carbs.
Looking for more? Check out:
The Powered Parachute Incident Database, 1997 Submittals
YOUR INCIDENT GOES HERE!
Acronyms used in these reports:
ACFT or A/C - Aircraft ACF - Area Control Facility AFI
- Advanced Flight Instructor AGL - Above Ground Level
ALT - Altitude AOA - Angle-of-Attack ARPT - Airport
ASC - Aero Sports Connection ASI - Air Speed Indicator
ATC - Air Traffic Control (a generic term for a joint
civil/military system for controlling traffic within
a specific area) AWAS - Automated Weather Advisory Station
B - At or Below (constrained altitude) BFI - Basic Flight
Instructor C - Centigrade CAT - Clear Air Turbulence
Cat II - A Cat II approach involves weather minimums
of a 200 ft ceiling and 2600 ft RVR CFI - Certified
Flight Instructor CFIT - Controlled Flight Into Terrain
CG - Center of Gravity CLR - Clear DGPS - Differential
GPS DOT - Department of Transportation DOD - Department
of Defense EMS - Emergency Medical Services ENG - Engine
E/O - Engine-Out EST - Estimated F - Fahrenheit FAA
- Federal Aviation Administration FAR - Federal Aviation
Regulations (federal rules under which flight operations
are conducted) FL - Flight Level, FL 310 For example,
FL310 is an altitude 31,000 ft. above sea level; used
for altitudes above 18,000 ft FLT - flight FPM - Feet
Per Minute FYI - for your information GA - General Aviation
GNSS - Global Navigation Satellite System GPS - Global
Positioning System GRP - Geographical Reference Points
GS - Glide Slope GS - Ground Speed G/S - Glideslope
IAOA - Indicated Angle-of-Attack IAS - Indicated Airspeed
IFR - Instrument Flight Rules in.hg. - inches of mercury
IMHO - in my humble opinion IMO - in my opinion IMVHO
- in my very humble opinion IVO - name of a company
that makes propellers KT (kts) - Knots LAT - Latitude
LON - Longitude LORAN - Long Range Navigation MAA -
Maximum Authorized IFR Altitude MAG - Magnetic MAINT
- Maintenance MCA - Minimum Crossing Altitude MSL -
MSL Mean Sea Level MTBF - Mean Time Between Failures
N/A - Not Applicable N.A.P.P.F. - NAV - Navigation NAVAID
- Navigational Aid NDB - Nondirectional Radio Beacon
NM - Nautical Mile NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration NOTAM - Notice for Airman NTSB - National
Transportation Safety Board (United States) NWS - National
Weather Service PF - Pilot Flying PG - Paraglider, has
no engine; Check out Big Air Paragliding site. PP -
Powered Parachute PPC - Powered Parachutes that use
wheels, carts, or bicycles (!) as a frame. PPG - 'Backpack
style' Powered Paragliders, with engine & prop worn
by pilot like a backpack. PPW - Powered Para Wing ,
which, to most readers, includes both PPG and PPC PLF
- PLT - Pilot PNF - Pilot Not Flying POS - Position
QRH - The barometric pressure as reported by a particular
station R/C - Rate of Climb rf - radio frequency RNAV
- Area Navigation (generic acronym for any device capable
of aircraft guidance between pilot-defined waypoints
RVR - Runway Visual Range RW - Runway SA - Situation
Awareness SAT - Static Air Temperature SOP - Standard
Operating Procedure STOL - Short Takeoff and Landing
S.W.A.G. method - Scientific Wild Ass Guess TACH - Tachometer
TBD - To Be Determined TBO - Time between Overhauls
TBS - To Be Specified TCA - Terminal Control Area TEMP
- Temperature T&G - Touch and Go landing T/O (TO)
- Takeoff TRK - Track (to a NAVAID) TRU - True TURB
- Turbulence UHF - Ultra-high Frequency USUA - United
States Ultralight Association V - Velocity VHF - Very-high
Frequency VMC - Visual Meteorological Conditions VOM
- Volt-ohm-milliammeter VOR - VHF OmniRange Navigatgion
System (ground navigational aid that can provide display
of aircraft position relative to course through selected
ground navigational radio transmitter) VORTAC - VHF
Omni Range Radio/Tactical Air Navagation VX - Speed
for Best Angle of Climb VY - Speed for Best Rate of
Climb WINDR - Wind Direction WINDMG - Wind Magnitude
WPT - Way point WT - Weight WX - Weather WXR - Weather
Radar XTK - Crosstrack (cross track error)
EVEN MORE Acronyms
Other Related Accident Databases:
The NTSB web page now lists some UL incidents.
Big Air Paragliding, for paragliders, of course. Very
good site.
Broomsticks Cautionary Tales
The FAA's Aviation Safety Information
The FAA's Incident Data System
The EAA's Aviation Safety Data site
Also check out "Aviation Safety Magazine, Subscription
Services, P.O. Box 420234, Palm Coast, Fl 32142 800-829-9162"
They list GA accidents and incidents.
Getting copies of this Database:
There are several ways to get copies of this database:
Visit the web page for the most up to date information.
The Powered Parachute Incident Database can be found
at http://www.pro-pro.com/carlos/ppc_adb.htm
Get the database emailed to you in ASCII text readable
form. Email CHatten@erols.com and request it.
Get a printed copy of the database mailed to you. No
cost as of yet, but a buck or two would not hurt for
postage! No biggie either way. Send request to: "PPC
Incident Database, 13406 Samhill Cir. Mt. Airy, Md 21771".
PLEASE include ANY incidents you may have had, or witnessed
seeing!
Get the incidents & full discussion / analysis
via email by subscribing! If you are not already on
the PPC Powered Parachute email group, it's a really
great resource - check it out! To join, go to http://www.teleport.com/~qmyers/ppclist.htm
Remember you can be automatically notified when this
page is updated
Other Related Links:
The Powered Parachute Tips & Tricks Board
The Powered Parachute Question of the Day Archives
The Mid-Atlantic Powered Parachuting Club Newsletter,
Information and Links Web Site
Carlos' home page...
Submit an incident, or comment!
You're the th curious soul...
The counter above provided by The Cyber Guestbook System
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BLANK SUBMITTAL FORM:
Please cut and paste for incident submissions
Pilot's Name:
Pilots Membership / License #:
Pilots Rating level:
Pilots Endorsements:
Pilots total airtime:
Pilots total airtime in this exact type of unit:
Pilots total number of Flights:
Pilots total number of Flights during the last 90 days:
Name of witness:
Address of witness:
Name of Reporter:
Address of Reporter:
Date of the accident or incident:
Flying site:
Nearest town:
Description of injuries:
Length of Hospitalization:
Identify any passenger, crew or property injured or
damaged:
Description of aircraft damage:
Aircraft make and model:
Harness make and model.
Reserve parachute make and model:
Brief, objective description of the Accident or Incident.
Weather conditions:
How could this accident have been avoided?
Provide a Report Review, include any Recommendations
which resulted:
What would you like other pilots to learn from this
event so that a
recurrence may be prevented?
What Action was taken as a result of this event?
(Examples: Club members warned of hazard, obstacles
removed, training
program initiated...)
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