ERA12LA509

The non-certificated pilot, who recently purchased the powered parachute, stated that he noted that the packed parachute had become wet, so he planned to operate the engine to dry the parachute material. He also stated that he did not check the fuel quantity before starting the engine because he did not intend to fly the aircraft. Because of safety and space concerns, the pilot repositioned the aircraft from his home to a nearby school for the operation. However, the pilot stated that when he started the engine, the wind speed increased, and the powered parachute became airborne. The pilot stated that when he attempted to land, the engine sputtered, then the rpm increased, and then went to idle, which is consistent with fuel starvation. He maneuvered the aircraft toward the side of a road; however, the left rear wheel contacted a telephone line. During postaccident interviews, the pilot stated that he did not believe there was a preimpact mechanical malfunction that would have precluded normal operation and indicated that the amount of fuel in the tank was minimal.

On August 12, 2012, about 1230 eastern daylight time, a Destiny XLT 2000 powered parachute, N103ME, registered to a private individual, collided with a telephone line then impacted the ground near Trip Elementary School, Grayson, Georgia. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, and the non-certificated pilot sustained serious injuries. The flight originated about 5 minutes earlier from Trip Elementary School. The non-certificated pilot stated that he recently purchased the powered parachute and it was brought from Texas to Georgia. On the accident date, he moved the powered parachute outside his address into a cul-de-sac in front of his house, unpackaged the chute, and started the engine. He stated that prior to starting the engine he did not inspect the fuel tank to determine the fuel quantity. The parachute inflated, but concerned about the proximity to nearby houses, he secured the engine, repacked the powered parachute and trailered it to a nearby elementary school behind his house. While there, he unpacked the aircraft, laid the parachute out, and sat in the front seat. Since he did not intend to become airborne, he did not buckle his seatbelt or shoulder harness, nor did he inspect the fuel tank to determine the quantity. While at the elementary school, he started the engine, but did not look at the fuel quantity gauge. The wind picked up, and the powered parachute became airborne drifting to the right towards obstructions (power lines and trees). He added power, put on the seatbelt and shoulder harness, and flew a circuit to return and land. While on final approach to land the flight was too far to the right so he elected to perform another circuit, this time staying to the left. While on final approach to the landing spot about the height of nearby power lines, the engine sputtered. He looked to the right for a landing spot but there were cars on the road. He also knew there was a pasture nearby but because of the low altitude was unable to land there. He maneuvered the powered parachute to land on the left side of the road, and that is the last detail of the accident sequence he remembers. He was asked to quantify the amount of fuel in the fuel tank following recovery, and reported that the amount observed was minimal but did not provide a value. A witness reported he went to the elementary school to watch the pilot fly the powered parachute. The witness reported that after takeoff the pilot flew for 20 to 30 minutes. The witness reported the pilot made a sharp right turn and began descending. The left rear wheel contacted an elevated telephone line and the powered parachute descended to the road.