Powered parachute pilot with five-year-old passenger crashes into utility static wire скачать в хорошем качестве

Powered parachute pilot with five-year-old passenger crashes into utility static wire

On August 11, 2020, at 19:31 local time, a Powrachute AirWolf 912ULS, registration N465JP, collided with the static wire above power lines in Casco, Michigan. The powered parachute was substantially damaged and the pilot received serious injuries. His five-year-old passenger was not injured. The pilot and passenger were conducting a local flight in a powered parachute from a grass field. The pilot elected to take off to the north northwest to take advantage of the light wind from that direction instead of taking off to the northeast with a light crosswind. The pilot was aware of trees and power lines on the departure route to the northwest but thought he could turn left after takeoff to avoid the obstructions. The powered parachute did not climb as quickly as usual during the left turn so the pilot turned back to the right thinking he could parallel the power lines. The powered parachute did not turn as quickly as expected and continued to climb toward the power lines. The pilot thought he had cleared the power lines, but the parachute impacted the static wire above the power lines, which collapsed the parachute, and the airframe fell to the ground. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical anomalies with the powered parachute that contributed to the accident and stated that he should have taken off to the northeast and accepted the light crosswind. The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be the pilot's decision to takeoff toward known obstacles, which resulted in an impact with a power line.