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20230701009039I

Incident · Substantial damage
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FAA incident report · Aircraft · Peoria, OR · July 1, 2023

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 1, 2023 · 06:30 local
Place
Peoria, OR
Phase of flight
Maneuver
Operating rules
Ultralight vehicle (Part 103)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
NONE
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
1
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
1,300 total1,300 in this make and model

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.

Overview:

On Saturday, July 1, 2023 at approximately 6:30AM PST a fenix trike two-place tandem powered paraglider, with two people on board, impacted the water of the willamette river, near Peoria, Oregon. There was one fatality, and the other person was transported to the hospital, and released, with no injuries.

The flight was conducted under CFR part 103 rules. Per CFR part 103 the fenix trike wheeled paramotor, (trike), is not required to have a registration number. The trike had just taken off and flew approximately four miles, before impacting the water. The weather, at the time, was reported as visual flight rules (VFR), with better than ten miles of visibility, and clear skies. The operator does not appear to hold any FAA certificates, and is not required to hold an FAA certificate, OR medical, to operate a trike, under part 103.

This accident was originally reported by the benton county sherriff. Neither the FAA, nor NTSB, were on scene.

The faa’s compliance program brochure was delivered to the operator of the trike, and his attorney, prior to an interview with NTSB, the operator, the attorney, and me, July 17, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. (PST).

Discussion:

The operator of the trike had two instructional tandem flights scheduled for the morning, consisting of two, 30 minute rides. The first tandem flight, included a gift certificate from his wife, to become familiarized with paragliding. The flight departed from a crop duster airstrip in Peoria, Oregon. The operator stated, that a flight of this nature, is normally charged a fee of $195.00 to $200.00. After a safety check of the trike, a briefing to the passenger consisting of how to get in and out of the harness, how to hold a selfie stick, and how to avoid motion sickness, was given before they departed. After a flyby, for the passenger’s wife, the operator flew 500 feet over the river. The operator spotted a fisherman on the river, and spoke to the passenger through a go pro helmet intercom, to see if he would like to maneuver down and waive to the fisherman. The passenger agreed. After a low flyby near the fisherman, the operator attempted to climb out at full throttle. The operator heard a loud bang, felt a bump, the trike pitched up, and at that point the operator saw the wing in his forward vision, which he knew was abnormal, and then the trike capsized into the river. It appears that the operator fixated on flying over to wave to the fisherman, lost situational awareness, and hit a power line, which caused the operator to lose control of the trike.

The operator struggled to detach his harness, and then tried to unhook the passenger. The fisherman threw him a floating seat cushion, which the operator used to stay afloat, and continued to struggle with the trike. The fisherman expressed the need for him to let go of the trike, because, he could capsize the boat, and hit the boat propeller. The passenger could not get out of the trike, and drowned.

The operator, upon request, could not present an exemption for operating a two-place tandem powered paraglider, and could not present a wheeled launch (wl) instructor card. The card, in his possession, was for a foot launch (FL), that expired 06/03/2022. Because the operator does not hold an FAA airman certificate, there is no enforcement, OR accident history. The fenix trike is in possession of the benton county sheriff’s office, and the NTSB.

As the FAA filed it

OVERVIEW:

ON SATURDAY, JULY 1, 2023 AT APPROXIMATELY 6:30AM PST A FENIX TRIKE TWO-PLACE TANDEM POWERED PARAGLIDER, WITH TWO PEOPLE ON BOARD, IMPACTED THE WATER OF THE WILLAMETTE RIVER, NEAR PEORIA, OREGON. THERE WAS ONE FATALITY, AND THE OTHER PERSON WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL, AND RELEASED, WITH NO INJURIES.

THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER CFR PART 103 RULES. PER CFR PART 103 THE FENIX TRIKE WHEELED PARAMOTOR, (TRIKE), IS NOT REQUIRED TO HAVE A REGISTRATION NUMBER. THE TRIKE HAD JUST TAKEN OFF AND FLEW APPROXIMATELY FOUR MILES, BEFORE IMPACTING THE WATER. THE WEATHER, AT THE TIME, WAS REPORTED AS VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR), WITH BETTER THAN TEN MILES OF VISIBILITY, AND CLEAR SKIES. THE OPERATOR DOES NOT APPEAR TO HOLD ANY FAA CERTIFICATES, AND IS NOT REQUIRED TO HOLD AN FAA CERTIFICATE, OR MEDICAL, TO OPERATE A TRIKE, UNDER PART 103.

THIS ACCIDENT WAS ORIGINALLY REPORTED BY THE BENTON COUNTY SHERRIFF. NEITHER THE FAA, NOR NTSB, WERE ON SCENE.

THE FAA’S COMPLIANCE PROGRAM BROCHURE WAS DELIVERED TO THE OPERATOR OF THE TRIKE, AND HIS ATTORNEY, PRIOR TO AN INTERVIEW WITH NTSB, THE OPERATOR, THE ATTORNEY, AND ME, JULY 17, 2023 AT 10:30 A.M. (PST).

DISCUSSION:

THE OPERATOR OF THE TRIKE HAD TWO INSTRUCTIONAL TANDEM FLIGHTS SCHEDULED FOR THE MORNING, CONSISTING OF TWO, 30 MINUTE RIDES. THE FIRST TANDEM FLIGHT, INCLUDED A GIFT CERTIFICATE FROM HIS WIFE, TO BECOME FAMILIARIZED WITH PARAGLIDING. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED FROM A CROP DUSTER AIRSTRIP IN PEORIA, OREGON. THE OPERATOR STATED, THAT A FLIGHT OF THIS NATURE, IS NORMALLY CHARGED A FEE OF $195.00 TO $200.00. AFTER A SAFETY CHECK OF THE TRIKE, A BRIEFING TO THE PASSENGER CONSISTING OF HOW TO GET IN AND OUT OF THE HARNESS, HOW TO HOLD A SELFIE STICK, AND HOW TO AVOID MOTION SICKNESS, WAS GIVEN BEFORE THEY DEPARTED. AFTER A FLYBY, FOR THE PASSENGER’S WIFE, THE OPERATOR FLEW 500 FEET OVER THE RIVER. THE OPERATOR SPOTTED A FISHERMAN ON THE RIVER, AND SPOKE TO THE PASSENGER THROUGH A GO PRO HELMET INTERCOM, TO SEE IF HE WOULD LIKE TO MANEUVER DOWN AND WAIVE TO THE FISHERMAN. THE PASSENGER AGREED. AFTER A LOW FLYBY NEAR THE FISHERMAN, THE OPERATOR ATTEMPTED TO CLIMB OUT AT FULL THROTTLE. THE OPERATOR HEARD A LOUD BANG, FELT A BUMP, THE TRIKE PITCHED UP, AND AT THAT POINT THE OPERATOR SAW THE WING IN HIS FORWARD VISION, WHICH HE KNEW WAS ABNORMAL, AND THEN THE TRIKE CAPSIZED INTO THE RIVER. IT APPEARS THAT THE OPERATOR FIXATED ON FLYING OVER TO WAVE TO THE FISHERMAN, LOST SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, AND HIT A POWER LINE, WHICH CAUSED THE OPERATOR TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE TRIKE.

THE OPERATOR STRUGGLED TO DETACH HIS HARNESS, AND THEN TRIED TO UNHOOK THE PASSENGER. THE FISHERMAN THREW HIM A FLOATING SEAT CUSHION, WHICH THE OPERATOR USED TO STAY AFLOAT, AND CONTINUED TO STRUGGLE WITH THE TRIKE. THE FISHERMAN EXPRESSED THE NEED FOR HIM TO LET GO OF THE TRIKE, BECAUSE, HE COULD CAPSIZE THE BOAT, AND HIT THE BOAT PROPELLER. THE PASSENGER COULD NOT GET OUT OF THE TRIKE, AND DROWNED.

THE OPERATOR, UPON REQUEST, COULD NOT PRESENT AN EXEMPTION FOR OPERATING A TWO-PLACE TANDEM POWERED PARAGLIDER, AND COULD NOT PRESENT A WHEELED LAUNCH (WL) INSTRUCTOR CARD. THE CARD, IN HIS POSSESSION, WAS FOR A FOOT LAUNCH (FL), THAT EXPIRED 06/03/2022. BECAUSE THE OPERATOR DOES NOT HOLD AN FAA AIRMAN CERTIFICATE, THERE IS NO ENFORCEMENT, OR ACCIDENT HISTORY. THE FENIX TRIKE IS IN POSSESSION OF THE BENTON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, AND THE NTSB.