# Incident 20120528008279I: Heldeberg Designs LLC MARATHON 2 PLACE, Earleville, MD, May 28, 2012

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 28, 2012, 19:00 local time
- Place: Earleville, MD
- Airport: Hexton Farms Airport
- Damage: No damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.3751° N, 75.9066° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at HEXTON FARMS (MD93), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.3751&lon=-75.9066&mi=10
- Aircraft: N55448, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N55448) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Heldeberg Designs MARATHON 2 PLACE (registry code 05903YB, https://openairdocs.org/model/heldeberg-designs-marathon-2-place) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rotax 582DCDI (registry code 55562, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-582dcdi) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: HELDEBERG DESIGNS LLC MARATHON 2 PLACE
- Reported engine: ROTAX 582DCDI
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Sport pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 21 total, 21 in this make and model, 1 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120528008279I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

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.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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