- Date
- June 28, 2002, 21:15 local (Jun 29, 2002, 03:15 UTC)
- Place
- Lewistown, MT
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- UNREGInfinity Powered Parachute
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 16, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA-FSDO
- Case key
- 55578
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
Inadequate preflight planning and inadvertent flight into adverse weather conditions. High wind conditions was a factor in the accident.
Analysis
The non-certified pilot reported that he was attempting an off-airport landing in an effort to avoid approaching thunderstorms and associated high wind conditions. He stated that on his fourth landing attempt, the powered parachute encountered a strong crosswind that "... blew us into the ground." The pilot estimated the winds at the time of the accident to be 70-80 miles per hour.
Factual narrative
On June 28, 2002, about 2115 mountain daylight time, an unregistered Infinity two-place powered parachute sustained substantial damage during a precautionary off-airport landing five miles southeast of Lewistown, Montana. The powered parachute is owned by the pilot, and was being operated as a personal/pleasure flight in visual meteorological conditions. The non-certified pilot and passenger sustained serious injuries. The flight originated from the pilot's ranch near Lewistown, Montana.
In a written statement, dated September 10, the pilot reported that he was attempting an off-airport landing in an effort to avoid approaching thunderstorms and associated high wind conditions. The pilot reported that on his fourth landing attempt, the aircraft encountered a strong crosswind that "... blew us into the ground." The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the airframe assembly.
The pilot estimated the winds at the time of the accident to be 70-80 miles per hour.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- UNREG
- Reported as
- Infinity Powered Parachute
- Category
- Ultralight
- Airframe hours
- 70
- Engine
- Rotax 520, 60 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 103
- Registered owner
- Richard T. Miller
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- Lewistown, MT
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 46
- Injuries
- Serious
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 70 total · 70 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 13 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- KLWT, 5 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 13, 2002, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 305 KB in all.