Buckeye DREAM MACHINE N4017L

Summary

On 2 April 2017 at about 19:30 local time, a Buckeye DREAM MACHINE registered N4017L was involved in an accident near Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, 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

2 April 2017 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Knoxville, Tennessee, United States

Coordinates

35.8714, -84.1569

Aircraft

Buckeye DREAM MACHINE

Registration

N4017L

Year built

2005

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Powell → Powell

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA17FA144

1 person died.

The pilot's decision to maneuver the aircraft at low altitude, towards rising terrain, which resulted in an inflight collision with trees.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The sport pilot and the passenger were making a local flight in the powered parachute. The passenger, who survived the accident, reported that, about an hour into the flight, the pilot turned to the east toward the passenger's home. After overflying the passenger's home at low altitude, the pilot maneuvered the powered parachute to the east toward rising terrain and trees. The passenger's wife was outside her home at the time of the accident and noticed that the aircraft was flying low, and other witnesses also reported seeing the aircraft flying low before the accident. According to the passenger, the aircraft did not climb quickly enough to clear the trees; the landing gear struck about three trees; and the aircraft dropped into the woods striking tree limbs on the way down. Postaccident examination of the wreckage did not reveal evidence of a preimpact mechanical malfunction or anomaly, and the passenger reported that he did not notice any significant change in engine speed before the aircraft struck the trees. The engine ran satisfactorily when tested after the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.