Hughes Aero PREDATOR "C" N369SL

Summary

On 29 May 2018 at about 23:58 local time, a Hughes Aero PREDATOR "C" registered N369SL was involved in an accident near Copemish, Michigan, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 May 2018 at 23:58

Classification

Accident

Location

Copemish, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Private Airstrip (PVT)

Coordinates

44.5092, -85.8406

Aircraft

Hughes Aero PREDATOR "C"

Registration

N369SL

Year built

2008

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Copemish → Copemish

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18LA206

2 people were seriously injured.

The pilot's improper decision to take off with a passenger in high-density altitude conditions from a runway with tall grass present, which resulted in the powered-parachute's poor takeoff performance and its inability to clear a tree line and led to a subsequent forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The sport pilot and a passenger departed in a powered-parachute from the pilot's airstrip with calm winds. No anomalies were detected during the preflight inspection. After departure, the powered-parachute would not climb above 8 ft above ground level and was approaching 20-ft-tall trees. The pilot attempted to land between a wire fence and the tree line, and the powered-parachute subsequently impacted the ground and a tree base. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions during the flight and stated that the air was "heavier" than expected. The field elevation at a nearby airport was 634 ft mean sea level (msl), and the calculated density altitude was about 2,821 ft msl. A review of a recent aerial photograph of the pilot's property showed a mowed 600-ft-long runway with a northwest-southeast orientation. At the time of the accident, no runway could be seen on the property because the grass was between 6 and 12 inches tall and appeared unused except for the accident flight. The unmowed runway and high-density altitude conditions likely affected the powered-parachute's takeoff performance, which resulted in the aircraft being unable to clear the trees near the runway.  

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.