Destiny 2000 N3376

Summary

On 23 May 2015 at about 21:30 local time, a Destiny 2000 registered N3376 was involved in an accident near Eltopia, Washington, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 May 2015 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Eltopia, Washington, United States

Coordinates

46.4297, -119.0217

Aircraft

Destiny 2000

Registration

N3376

Year built

2001

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Eltopia → Eltopia

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA15LA085

1 person was seriously injured.

The flight instructor’s failure to tell the student pilot to abort the takeoff after the powered parachute experienced wing oscillations, which resulted in the student pilot’s loss of aircraft control during initial climb and subsequent impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's decision to conduct training in a powered parachute without dual flight controls.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and student pilot were departing in the powered parachute during a fly-in event with the student pilot at the flight controls. The flight instructor reported that the powered parachute experienced left-to-right wing oscillations during the takeoff roll and initial climb and that, about 15 ft above ground level, it rotated sharply downward and to the right and then impacted terrain; this was corroborated by video footage provided by an observer on the ground, which also showed that the oscillations worsened during the initial climb. The flight instructor reported that he was monitoring all of the parachute lines during the takeoff roll and initial climb and that he observed no abnormalities that would have adversely affected the parachute's steering mechanism. According to Federal Aviation Administration guidance on powered parachute operations, the takeoff should be aborted if the parachute experiences severe wing oscillations. The guidance also states that "dual controls are required in the aircraft for training." However, the powered parachute was not equipped with dual flight controls. If the powered parachute had been equipped with dual flight controls, it is possible that the flight instructor would have taken control of the flight and aborted the takeoff. Regardless, the flight instructor should have told the student to abort the takeoff when he first noticed the wing oscillations.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.