crash in Iowa
Around 10:00 A.M. this morning, a powered parachute crashed in the front yard of a house located near West Des Moines, Iowa. The terrain in this secluded area is hilly and very dense with trees and other vegetation. The two witnesses (homeowner) said the PPC pilot was flying very low around their property and waving to them prior to the event. Since I have been flying a powered parachute for seven years and spent twenty-five years as a volunteer paramedic, the Director of West Des Moines EMS called my house at eleven o'clock to ask if I could come to the scene and help "fold" the parachute so no damage would occur. Upon my arrival, the thing that concerned me the least was taking care of the parachute. There were four troopers, one deputy from the county sheriff's department, two local news crew, and a few left over paramedics from this tragedy. The PPC was now upright, its nose crushed and the left rear wheel twisted backwards ninety degrees and positioned directly beneath the radiator. Most of the airframe had withstood the impact, except for the fan guard, which was bent out of shape. There was nothing remaining of the prop other than splinters where it attached to the engine. Both the radiator recovery bottle and the oil fill tank appeared undamaged; yet, the exhaust system was torn loose from the manifold. The outrigger was covered with dirt and grass from digging into the sod and the tubular fan guard brace was somewhat flatten due to its extensive contact with the driveway where it slid upside down leaving a five foot scare in the concrete. That is where I noticed the dried, blood splattered stain. The pilot, in his mid 50's, was not wearing a helmet and his head struck the concrete rendering him unconscious and bleeding from the ears. He was transported to the trauma center via helicopter. The homeowners said the pilot had been flying very low in the area causing some concern on their part. The husband said he heard a change in the sound of the engine as if the PPC was going to full power. Suddenly, it came down between two trees tearing off branches and shredding the prop. The machine hit the ground, rolled over and slid onto the driveway where it began leaking fuel. He and another person supported the victim and released the seat belt. Then, they uprighted the powered parachute. We were told the victim had been flying this new machine for only two weeks. I have no idea if he received any PPC lessons. Since the winds were variable and gusty at times, I personally would not have been flying this morning. However, I must admit, a new pilot sometimes becomes overwhelmed with this hobby and compromises safety for fun. As last report on the news, the victim is in serious condition. Also stated on the local channel, "do powered parachutes really work". Go figure! What did I learn from this event............................nothing.................nothing at all. It was just a costly reminder at his expense of things I already knew. 1) Keep altitude over hostile terrain. 2) Don't showboat. 3) Wear a helmet. I receive a failing grade on #3. I have not been wearing a helmet. It's time for me to start. I'll send pictures as soon as I get them downloaded into the computer. Larry Speed
Around 10:00 A.M. this morning, a powered parachute crashed in the front yard of a house located near West Des Moines, Iowa. The terrain in this secluded area is hilly and very dense with trees and other vegetation. The two witnesses (homeowner) said the PPC pilot was flying very low around their property and waving to them prior to the event. Since I have been flying a powered parachute for seven years and spent twenty-five years as a volunteer paramedic, the Director of West Des Moines EMS called my house at eleven o'clock to ask if I could come to the scene and help "fold" the parachute so no damage would occur. Upon my arrival, the thing that concerned me the least was taking care of the parachute. There were four troopers, one deputy from the county sheriff's department, two local news crew, and a few left over paramedics from this tragedy. The PPC was now upright, its nose crushed and the left rear wheel twisted backwards ninety degrees and positioned directly beneath the radiator. Most of the airframe had withstood the impact, except for the fan guard, which was bent out of shape. There was nothing remaining of the prop other than splinters where it attached to the engine. Both the radiator recovery bottle and the oil fill tank appeared undamaged; yet, the exhaust system was torn loose from the manifold. The outrigger was covered with dirt and grass from digging into the sod and the tubular fan guard brace was somewhat flatten due to its extensive contact with the driveway where it slid upside down leaving a five foot scare in the concrete. That is where I noticed the dried, blood splattered stain. The pilot, in his mid 50's, was not wearing a helmet and his head struck the concrete rendering him unconscious and bleeding from the ears. He was transported to the trauma center via helicopter. The homeowners said the pilot had been flying very low in the area causing some concern on their part. The husband said he heard a change in the sound of the engine as if the PPC was going to full power. Suddenly, it came down between two trees tearing off branches and shredding the prop. The machine hit the ground, rolled over and slid onto the driveway where it began leaking fuel. He and another person supported the victim and released the seat belt. Then, they uprighted the powered parachute. We were told the victim had been flying this new machine for only two weeks. I have no idea if he received any PPC lessons. Since the winds were variable and gusty at times, I personally would not have been flying this morning. However, I must admit, a new pilot sometimes becomes overwhelmed with this hobby and compromises safety for fun. As last report on the news, the victim is in serious condition. Also stated on the local channel, "do powered parachutes really work". Go figure! What did I learn from this event............................nothing.................nothing at all. It was just a costly reminder at his expense of things I already knew. 1) Keep altitude over hostile terrain. 2) Don't showboat. 3) Wear a helmet. I receive a failing grade on #3. I have not been wearing a helmet. It's time for me to start. I'll send pictures as soon as I get them downloaded into the computer. Larry Speed