- Date
- July 4, 2020, 20:30 local (Jul 5, 2020, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Freedom, WI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3502XCondor Condor
- Defining event
- Enroute: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20200704005289A
- Case key
- 101580
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to initiate a climb in a timely manner which resulted in contact with wires.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot said he was flying over his home's driveway with a passenger so a family member could take pictures as he flew over. He said he descended to an altitude he thought was above wires at the end of his driveway, which he estimated were 25 ft above the ground. As he tracked along the driveway he added full power to climb when he was about 500 ft from the wires, but the powered parachute climbed slowly and the left wheel caught a wire. The aircraft descended into the ground, substantially bending and damaging the aircraft's fuselage structure that included the parachute attachment point. The pilot indicated there were no mechanical anomalies with the aircraft that contributed to the accident.
Factual narrative
The pilot said he was flying over his home's driveway with a passenger so a family member could take pictures as he flew over. He said he descended to an altitude he thought was above wires at the end of his driveway, which he estimated were 25 ft above the ground. As he tracked along the driveway he added full power to climb when he was about 500 ft from the wires, but the powered parachute climbed slowly and the left wheel caught a wire. The aircraft descended into the ground, substantially bending and damaging the aircraft's fuselage structure that included the parachute attachment point. The pilot indicated there were no mechanical anomalies with the aircraft that contributed to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3502X
- Reported as
- Condor Condor
- Category
- Powered parachute
- Serial number
- A114CDR
- Built
- 2003
- Engine
- Rotax 582ULDCDI-99, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 14, 2007 · 89 hours before
- Departed
- Oneida, WI
- Destination
- Freedom, WI
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 27, 2019
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 287 total · 50 in this make and model · 287 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 10, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.6 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.