Southern Powered Parachutes CONDOR N3150U

Summary

On 20 June 2008 at about 22:00 local time, a Southern Powered Parachutes CONDOR registered N3150U, operated by William C. Wilson, was involved in an accident near Brookfield, Missouri, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 June 2008 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Brookfield, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

North Central Missouri Regiona (MO8)

Coordinates

39.7700, -93.0125

Aircraft

Southern Powered Parachutes CONDOR

Registration

N3150U

Engines

1

Operator

William C. Wilson

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Brookfield → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN08LA113

1 person was seriously injured.

the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control while maneuvering. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of familiarity and experience in the accident aircraft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Prior to the flight, the pilot and owner conducted a preflight of the aircraft and no anomalies were noted. The takeoff was normal and he climbed the aircraft to 500 feet above ground level (agl). At 500 feet agl, the aircraft encountered strong winds and the pilot elected to descend to a lower altitude as the surface winds were light and variable. The pilot stated that the 15 to 20 minute flight was a "good flight." While in the traffic pattern, the pilot executed shallow bank turns and a slow descent. During straight and level flight approximately 100 feet agl, the pilot experienced a loss of altitude and it felt as though the parachute folded in half. The pilot applied engine power; however, the aircraft impacted terrain. During the impact, the aircraft's left main landing gear struck terrain and the aircraft rolled over onto it's right side. In the days preceding the flight, the pilot read the operations manual for the aircraft. The pilot had no previous experience in powered parachutes and was going to become familiar with the airplane in order to eventually conduct flight training with the new owner.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.