20110129000439I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Powrachute PEGASUS · Morgan, UT · January 29, 2011

Date: January 29, 2011 · 16:00 local
Place: Morgan, UT
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N423DA
Reported as: Powrachute Pegasus
Reported engine: ROTAX 582DCDI
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Sport pilot, student
Pilot’s flight hours: 33 total21 in this make and model10 in the last 90 days

N423DARegistered now · Powrachute PEGASUSS/N A484PEG · Built 2010 Airframe modelPowrachute PEGASUS Engine modelRotax 582DCDI2 cycle

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.

Pilot took off from Morgan county airport. Pilot avoided the city and houses and took rural route to a field his uncle owns. He decended down to look at the field in anticipation of landing if possible. Due to the snow in the field he opted not to land. As he was coming out of the area he saw a river to the right and turned left to avoid it. As he turned left he thinks the parachute caught a small 3-4 inch branch on a nearby tree and caused the aircraft to be jolted to the left. The pilots control input after the jolt also caused the aircraft to turn further to the left. The resulting loss of lift caused the aircraft to come down in the field. Aircraft landed on three wheels but then snow caused to flip over breaking the cage that surrounds the prop and breaking off one of the blades of the propeller.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT TOOK OFF FROM MORGAN COUNTY AIRPORT. PILOT AVOIDED THE CITY AND HOUSES AND TOOK RURAL ROUTE TO A FIELD HIS UNCLE OWNS. HE DECENDED DOWN TO LOOK AT THE FIELD IN ANTICIPATION OF LANDING IF POSSIBLE. DUE TO THE SNOW IN THE FIELD HE OPTED NOT TO LAND. AS HE WAS COMING OUT OF THE AREA HE SAW A RIVER TO THE RIGHT AND TURNED LEFT TO AVOID IT. AS HE TURNED LEFT HE THINKS THE PARACHUTE CAUGHT A SMALL 3-4 INCH BRANCH ON A NEARBY TREE AND CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO BE JOLTED TO THE LEFT. THE PILOTS CONTROL INPUT AFTER THE JOLT ALSO CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO TURN FURTHER TO THE LEFT. THE RESULTING LOSS OF LIFT CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO COME DOWN IN THE FIELD. AIRCRAFT LANDED ON THREE WHEELS BUT THEN SNOW CAUSED TO FLIP OVER BREAKING THE CAGE THAT SURROUNDS THE PROP AND BREAKING OFF ONE OF THE BLADES OF THE PROPELLER.