- Date
- November 15, 2009, 13:31 local (18:31 UTC)
- Place
- Indian Trail, NC
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N59748Airframes Unlimited Coyote
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Loss of engine power (partial)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 23, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 75084
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
A loss of engine power due to carburetor icing.
Findings · 1
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
Prior to departure, the pilot visually inspected the fuel system of the powered-parachute and verified that the fuel tank was full. He departed from a pasture, flew to a nearby airport to practice a touch-and-go, and then was returning to their departure point. At approximately 1,000 feet above the ground (agl) the pilot noticed he was unable to hold his altitude and maintain airspeed. While in a shallow descent the pilot turned on the electric fuel pump and cycled the throttle. The engine responded to the inputs; however, would not achieve full power. Approximately 700 feet agl the pilot shut-down the engine over a field in which he was preparing to make an emergency landing. He began to perform a shallow S-turn maneuver to decrease his altitude. As he turned to the right the passenger compartment maneuvered outside the veil of the canopy above causing a rapid decrease in altitude; not able to make his selected landing site, the pilot elected to land straight ahead into the trees. The powered-parachute impacted several trees and substantially damaged the metal structure. Review of the carburetor icing probability chart revealed that the temperature and dew point were conducive to carburetor icing at cruise and glide power, the powered-parachute was not equipped with carburetor heat.
Factual narrative
Prior to departure, the pilot visually inspected the fuel system of the powered-parachute and verified that the fuel tank was full. He departed from a pasture, flew to a nearby airport to practice a touch and go, and then was returning to their departure point. At approximately 1,000 feet above the ground (agl) the pilot noticed he was unable to hold his altitude and maintain airspeed. While in a shallow descent the pilot turned on the electric fuel pump and cycled the throttle. The engine responded to the inputs however would not achieve full power. Approximately 700 feet agl the pilot shut-down the engine over a field in which he was preparing to make an emergency landing. He began to perform a shallow S-turn maneuver to decrease his altitude. As he turned to the right the passenger compartment maneuvered outside the veil of the canopy above causing a rapid decrease in altitude; not able to make his selected landing site, the pilot elected to land straight ahead into the trees. The powered-parachute impacted several trees and substantially damaged the metal structure. Review of the carburetor icing probability chart revealed that the temperature and dew point were conducive to carburetor icing at cruise and glide power, the powered-parachute was not equipped with carburetor heat.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N59748
- Reported as
- Airframes Unlimited Coyote
- Category
- Powered parachute
- Serial number
- JEN8675309
- Airframe hours
- 103
- Engine
- Hirth 3203, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · September 1, 2009 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- EQY · Monroe, NC
- Destination
- Stallings, NC
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
- 47
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 10, 2008
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 163 total · 109 in this make and model · 105 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- EQY, 8 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 29, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 742 KB in all.