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20120528008279I

Incident · No damage
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FAA incident report · Heldeberg Designs MARATHON 2 PLACE · Earleville, MD · May 28, 2012

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 28, 2012 · 19:00 local
Place
Earleville, MD
Airport
Hexton Farms Airport
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N55448
Reported as
Heldeberg Designs Marathon 2 Place
Reported engine
ROTAX 582DCDI
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Sport pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
21 total21 in this make and model1 in the last 90 days
N55448Registered now · Heldeberg Designs MARATHON 2 PLACES/N HD07153M · Built 2007Airframe modelHeldeberg Designs MARATHON 2 PLACEEngine 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.

At approximately 1900 on 5/28/2012, privacy data omitted and one passenger, privacy data omitted, took off in a powered parachute ultralight aircraft from runway 32 at the Hexton Farms Airport (MD93) in cecil county, Maryland. Winds were west at 8-10 knots. As privacy data omitted reached an altitude of approximately 15', he experienced a left crosswind and a simultanious downdraft. Gardner applied full power but was unable to climb above 25' tall trees at the west end of the runway. The aircraft "cockpit" impacted the trees at about 20 knots, 20' above the ground.privacy data omitted Immediately shut down the engine and the aircraft slowly dropped through the branches. Once the parachute/wing reached the tops of the trees, the parachute shrouds suspended the cockpit about 10' above the ground. privacy data omitted Was able to climb down unassisted, but due to the close proximity of some branches husfelt could not get out of his seat. Local fire department personnel extracted privacy data omitted.neither was injured. The powered chute (canopy and cockpit) was undamaged.privacy data omitted Returned the following day to retrieve the aircraft from the tree.

As the FAA filed it

AT APPROXIMATELY 1900 ON 5/28/2012, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND ONE PASSENGER, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, TOOK OFF IN A POWERED PARACHUTE ULTRALIGHT AIRCRAFT FROM RUNWAY 32 AT THE HEXTON FARMS AIRPORT (MD93) IN CECIL COUNTY, MARYLAND. WINDS WERE WEST AT 8-10 KNOTS. AS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ REACHED AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 15', HE EXPERIENCED A LEFT CROSSWIND AND A SIMULTANIOUS DOWNDRAFT. GARDNER APPLIED FULL POWER BUT WAS UNABLE TO CLIMB ABOVE 25' TALL TREES AT THE WEST END OF THE RUNWAY.THE AIRCRAFT "COCKPIT" IMPACTED THE TREES AT ABOUT 20 KNOTS, 20' ABOVE THE GROUND.^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE AND THE AIRCRAFT SLOWLY DROPPED THROUGH THE BRANCHES. ONCE THE PARACHUTE/WING REACHED THE TOPS OF THE TREES, THE PARACHUTE SHROUDS SUSPENDED THE COCKPIT ABOUT 10' ABOVE THE GROUND. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS ABLE TO CLIMB DOWN UNASSISTED, BUT DUE TO THE CLOSE PROXIMITY OF SOME BRANCHES HUSFELT COULD NOT GET OUT OF HIS SEAT. LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL EXTRACTED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.NEITHER WAS INJURED. THE POWERED CHUTE (CANOPY AND COCKPIT) WAS UNDAMAGED.^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ RETURNED THE FOLLOWING DAY TO RETRIEVE THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE TREE.