- Date
- February 21, 2007, 15:35 local (21:35 UTC)
- Place
- Buffalo City, AR
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N582WBuckeye Breeze XL
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 29, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Little Rock, Arkansas
- FAA report
- 20070221001949A
- Case key
- 65354
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 maintain control of the aircraft during approach. A contributing factor was the reported encounter with severe turbulence.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The 72-hour sport pilot initiated a descent to an open field where he intended to perform a touch and go landing on his registered powered parachute. The pilot, who reported having accumulated a total of 4 hours in the same make and model was seriously injured. The 15-statute mile flight was planned as a flight of two Rotax 582 powered parachutes. The pilot stated in the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1) that he had "no memory of the flight;" however, a witness who was flying the other powered parachute, stated that the accident pilot was flying approximately 100 feet above the ground while maneuvering to land, when "he encountered severe turbulence causing the powered parachute to go into a tight spiral." The parachute impacted the ground at a high rate of descent, which was described to be "approximately 40 miles per hour descent rate." The weather at the nearest weather reporting station located approximately 9 miles to the northwest of the accident site, reported the wind from the east-northeast at 6 miles per hour, clear skies, visibility 10 statute miles, and a barometric pressure setting of 29.93 inches of Mercury.
Factual narrative
The 72-hour sport pilot initiated a descent to an open field where he intended to perform a touch and go landing on his registered powered parachute. While at 100 feet above the ground, the powered parachute encountered severe turbulence and the powered parachute entered an uncontrolled tight spiraling descent from which the pilot was unable to recover. The pilot, who reported having accumulated a total of 4 hours in the same make and model was seriously injured. The 15-statute mile flight was planned as a flight of two Rotax 582 powered parachutes. The pilot stated in the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1) that he had "no memory of the flight;" however, a witness who was flying the other powered parachute, was able to describe the accident sequence. The witness stated that the accident pilot was flying approximately 100 feet above the ground while maneuvering to land, when "he encountered severe turbulence causing the powered parachute to go into a tight spiral." The parachute impacted the ground at a high rate of descent, which was described to be "approximately 40 miles per hour descent rate." The weather at the nearest weather reporting station located approximately 9 miles to the northwest of the accident site, reported the wind from the east-northeast at 6 miles per hour, clear skies, visibility 10 statute miles, and barometric pressure setting of 29.93 inches of Mercury.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N582W
- Reported as
- Buckeye Breeze XL
- Category
- Powered-lift
- Serial number
- 16368
- Airframe hours
- 88
- Engine
- Rotax 582, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 1, 2006
- Departed
- Mountain Home, AR
- Destination
- Buffalo City, AR
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
- 61
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 72 total · 4 in this make and model · 72 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.93 inHg
- Observed at
- KFLP, 9 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.