NTSB Factual Report

On July 8, 2014, about 0750 central daylight time, a Buckeye Dream Machine powered parachute, N4394V, collided with a fence near Ansley, Nebraska. The non-certificated pilot was fatally injured and the passenger received minor injuries. The powered parachute was not damaged. The powered parachute was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight which operated without a flight plan. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident.

According to a statement obtained by the responding Federal Aviation Administration inspector, a witness reported the pilot started and warmed up the engine. The pilot then planned to depart a 200-yard long grass field bordered on the east and west sides by a barbed wire fence. The passenger reported that attempted to depart to the west and the powered parachute did not become airborne. The pilot remarked to the passenger, "We are not going to make it" and turned the aircraft 180 degrees and headed east. The powered parachute did not raise from the ground and collided with the fence.

No anomalies were detected with the airframe and engine. The maintenance records were not recovered. The family of the pilot reported that the powered parachute had no mechanical issues and the pilot had never sought out an aircraft mechanic. An witness noted that the parachute appeared to be fully inflated during each take off attempt. The last known inspection on the powered parachute could not be determined.

There was no record that the pilot applied for or received any class of pilot certificate or medical certificate. A newspaper article written about the pilot flying the powered parachute was published in a local newspaper on July 17, 2006. The pilot registered the powered parachute with the Federal Aviation Administration on December 18, 2007, and received a special airworthiness certificate for the powered parachute on January 26, 2008. At the time of the application, the powered parachute is reported to have accumulated 152.4 hours. The pilot's total flight experience could not be determined.

An autopsy was performed on the pilot by the Nebraska Institute of Forensic Sciences. The cause of death was extensive blunt force trauma of the neck. The manner of death was ruled an accident. Forensic toxicology was performed on limited specimens from the pilot by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Testing was negative for carbon monoxide, ethanol, and drugs.

At 0753, an automated weather reporting station located at the Broken Bow Municipal Airport (KBBW), about 16 nautical miles northwest of the accident site, reported wind from 300 degrees at 10 knots, a clear sky, temperature 64 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 54 degrees Fahrenheit, and a barometric pressure of 30.12 inches of mercury.

The reason for the powered parachute inability to gain sufficient altitude could not be determined. A review of the manufacturer's website on performance, noted that takeoff roll could vary between 150 to 500 feet. There was no evidence that the pilot tried to abort the takeoff, with sufficient runway to avoid colliding with the fence.

NTSB Probable Cause

The powered parachute's reduced takeoff performance in tailwind conditions for reasons that could not be determined because a postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Contributing to the accident was the noncertificated pilot's decision to not abort the takeoff before the powered parachute collided with the fence.