20060723014819I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · PARAPLANEPM1 · Mason, TX · July 23, 2006

Date: July 23, 2006 · 08:00 local
Place: Mason, TX
Airport: Mason County
Phase of flight: Takeoff Ground Roll
Operating rules: Ultralight vehicle (Part 103)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: NONE
Reported as: PARAPLANEPM1
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 15 total15 in this make and model15 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) Powered parachute was attempting a takeoff to the south on the parking apron at the Mason Texas airport when the operator lost control of the parasail and veered left into a Cessna 172 tied down on the ramp. The parasail was not airborne at the time, it went under the wing of the parked airplane. The mast on the parasail contacted the underside of the right wing aileron, causing an indentation, and continued under the wing until it contacted the right wing flap. It hung the flap tearing an approximately foot long tear in the flap. The front of the parasail hit the right side of the fuselage behind the rear seats causing a dent in the side of the fuselage. The pilot stated the weather was clear and the winds were calm.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) POWERED PARACHUTE WAS ATTEMPTING A TAKEOFF TO THE SOUTH ON THE PARKING APRON AT THE MASON TEXAS AIRPORT WHEN THE OPERATOR LOST CONTROL OF THE PARASAIL AND VEERED LEFT INTO A CESSNA 172 TIED DOWN ON THE RAMP. THE PARASAIL WAS NOT AIRBORNE AT THE TIME, IT WENT UNDER THE WING OF THE PARKED AIRPLANE. THE MAST ON THE PARASAIL CONTACTED THE UNDERSIDE OF THE RIGHT WING AILERON, CAUSING AN INDENTATION, AND CONTINUED UNDER THE WING UNTIL IT CONTACTED THE RIGHT WING FLAP. IT HUNG THE FLAP TEARING AN APPROXIMATELY FOOT LONG TEAR IN THE FLAP. THE FRONT OF THE PARASAIL HIT THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE FUSELAGE BEHIND THE REAR SEATS CAUSING A DENT IN THE SIDE OF THE FUSELAGE. THE PILOT STATED THE WEATHER WAS CLEAR AND THE WINDS WERE CALM.