Ottawa, IL, USA
UNREG
GRAZHOPPER TRIKE
The noncertificated pilot was conducting a personal local flight in a powered-parachute. The pilot reported that he was flying the powered-parachute at low altitude through mist over the spillway of a dam when the engine suddenly lost power. The powered-parachute subsequently impacted the surface of turbulent flood waters just below the dam. After impact, the deflated parachute canopy flew over and covered the top of the airframe, which was then submerged or partially submerged. The pilot was able to free himself; however, the passenger was not able to exit and was fatally injured. A police officer who interviewed the pilot about 5 hours after the accident reported that the pilot's speech pattern was rambling and that the pilot appeared to be "under the influence of something." Blood specimens collected from the pilot more than 6 hours after the accident showed high levels of alprazolam and hydrocodone and low levels of oxycodone and diazepam. Although the exact blood levels of all four medications at the time of the accident could not be determined, it is likely that all of these sedating drugs were present in the pilot's system at or well above the normal therapeutic range at the time of the accident. The high levels these drugs and the evidence of impairment described by the police officer just 5 hours after the accident indicate that the pilot was impaired by the effects of multiple sedating medications around the time of the accident, which likely effected his decision-making and flight skills.
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 23, 2014, about 2100 central daylight time, an unregistered powered parachute with a two-seat trike airframe, was substantially damaged after impacting the surface of the water on the Fox River near Ottawa, Illinois. The pilot sustained minor injuries and the passenger was fatally injured. The powered parachute was operated by a private individual. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed at the time of the accident and a flight plan had not been filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The powered parachute had departed Skydive Chicago Airport (8N2), Ottawa, Illinois about 2040 for a local flight. The pilot reported that the passenger on the accident flight had been pushing the pilot to fly at a lower altitude and closer to the river and the spillway on the dam. While flying downstream through mist over the dam at an altitude of about 50 feet above ground level the engine suddenly quit. Following the loss of engine power the pilot was unable to fly to a nearby shoreline and impacted the surface of the turbulent flood waters just below the dam. After hitting the water the parachute canopy flew over and covered the top of the airframe which was then submerged or partially submerged. The pilot estimated that had he had been underwater for about 15 seconds before he was able to unfasten his harness and get himself free. The fast flowing water current then carried the pilot downstream. One person reported that he didn't see the accident, but he remembered hearing the powered parachute flying in the area and the engine sounded like it was "missing" and perhaps the carburetor was "choking out". There were no witnesses to the accident and emergency personnel responded only after the pilot exited the river and walked to a nearby business to make a call to 9-1-1 emergency. The passenger did not exit the partially submerged wreckage and was removed the following morning by emergency personnel. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot, age 33, held a current "advanced instructor" rating issued by the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, Inc. (USHPA). The USHPA instructor rating was valid only for instruction in ultralight vehicles. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records showed that the pilot had never held an FAA pilot certificate and had never held an FAA medical certificate. The pilot said he had recently come to Skydive Chicago at 8N2 to make money by selling rides in the powered parachute that he owned, and this was his only means of income. The pilot's personal logbooks were not available for examination by the NTSB during the course of the investigation. Based on postaccident interviews with the pilot, he had owned and flown the powered parachute for about the previous six months. The pilot did not report any details about his pilot experience or his previous flight training. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe two-seat, single engine, powered parachute, was a "GRAZhopper Trike" which was powered by an aft mounted 25 horsepower Vittorazi Monster 185, two-stroke pusher engine. The amateur built light sport aircraft had a tubular frame with two main landing gear wheels mounted just aft of the pilot's seat. There was a steerable nose wheel, mounted forward of the front passenger seat, which was operated by direct pedal inputs from the rear seat pilot. The pilot's seat was in the rear and the passenger's seat was in in the front. Each seat was equipped with a 4-point seat belt and shoulder harness restraint system. The parachute canopy had risers which were connected to the top of the tubular frame between the two tandem seats. During flight the canopy could be controlled by inputs from the pilot by pulling down on the parachute risers. FAA records show that the light sport powered parachute had never been issued an FAA airworthiness certificate and had never been issued an FAA registration certificate. No aircraft maintenance records were located during the course of the investigation. The date of manufacture was reported by the pilot to have been in about 2013 or 2014. The name of the manufacturer could not be determined. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONThe closest official weather reporting station was at KVYS, Peru, Illinois; located 17 miles west from the accident location At 2035 the Automated Surface Observation System at KVYS reported wind from 260 degrees at 4 knots, visibility 10 miles, broken clouds at 6,000 feet, temperature 24 degrees Celsius (C), dew point 21 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 29.87 inches of mercury. Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed that, at the accident location, sunset occurred at 2033, the end of evening civil twilight occurred at 2107, and moonset occurred at 1810. AIRPORT INFORMATIONThe two-seat, single engine, powered parachute, was a "GRAZhopper Trike" which was powered by an aft mounted 25 horsepower Vittorazi Monster 185, two-stroke pusher engine. The amateur built light sport aircraft had a tubular frame with two main landing gear wheels mounted just aft of the pilot's seat. There was a steerable nose wheel, mounted forward of the front passenger seat, which was operated by direct pedal inputs from the rear seat pilot. The pilot's seat was in the rear and the passenger's seat was in in the front. Each seat was equipped with a 4-point seat belt and shoulder harness restraint system. The parachute canopy had risers which were connected to the top of the tubular frame between the two tandem seats. During flight the canopy could be controlled by inputs from the pilot by pulling down on the parachute risers. FAA records show that the light sport powered parachute had never been issued an FAA airworthiness certificate and had never been issued an FAA registration certificate. No aircraft maintenance records were located during the course of the investigation. The date of manufacture was reported by the pilot to have been in about 2013 or 2014. The name of the manufacturer could not be determined. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONEmergency responders found the partially submerged wreckage snagged on a pile of driftwood near the middle of the Fox River about 200 feet downstream from the 600 foot wide spillway of a hydroelectric dam. The trike frame was resting right side down with the left main landing gear sticking out of the water and the front wheel oriented downstream to the south. The yellow parachute canopy was wrapped around the engine cage and trike frame. Turbulent fast flowing water hampered recovery efforts and the wreckage remained in place after emergency responders departed. The flood conditions in the river increased, and the wreckage was subsequently swept downstream. The wreckage was not recovered, and was not further examined. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 61.53 (b) requires that a person shall not act as a required pilot crewmember, while that person knows or has reason to know of any medical condition that would make the person unable to operate the aircraft in a safe manner. 14 CFR 91.146 and 91.147 define requirements for conducting certain passenger carrying flights for compensation or hire. 14 CFR 61.303 requires that the pilot of a light sport aircraft must hold at least a sport pilot certificate issued by the FAA. 14 CFR 61.413 authorizes flight instruction in a light sport aircraft by a person who holds at least a flight instructor certificate with a sport pilot rating issued by the FAA. 14 CFR 91.203 requires that a civil aircraft may not be operated unless it has a current airworthiness certificate and an effective U. S. registration certificate. 14 CFR 103.1 defines an ultralight vehicle as a vehicle used for operation in the air by a single-occupant, and used for recreation or sport purposes only. MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATIONAn autopsy was performed on the passenger by a forensic pathologist as ordered by the LaSalle County Coroner's Office; Ottawa, Illinois. Forensic toxicology was performed on specimens from the pilot by the FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The toxicology report stated that tests for carbon monoxide and for cyanide were not performed, no ethanol was detected in blood, dihydrocodeine was detected in blood, hydrocodone was detected in blood, and oxycodone was detected in blood. According to the police interview conducted approximately 5 hours after the crash, the pilot said he had used several prescription medications on the day of the accident, including oxycodone (15 mg) in that morning and again in the afternoon; alprazolam, one that morning and one again that afternoon; diazepam one that morning, and one at noon; and two hydrocodone that morning. Additionally, the police interview report noted that the pilot's speech pattern was rambling and the pilot would forget what they were talking about, and would not sometimes understand basic questions as if he was "under the influence of something." The Illinois State Police Forensic Laboratory reported that blood specimens collected from the pilot at 0347 on the morning of June 24, 2014, tested positive for alprazolam 40 ug/L, hydrocodone 70 ug/L, oxycodone less than 10 ug/L and diazepam less than 250 ug/L. Alprazolam is a sedating benzodiazepine used to treat panic and anxiety disorders marketed as Xanax. The therapeutic range is from 0.6 to 20 ug/L and the half-life ranges from 6 to 20 hours. Hydrocodone is a narcotic analgesic marketed under many names including Vicodin. The therapeutic range is from 10 to 50 ug/L and the half-life ranges from 4 to 8 hours. Oxycodone is another narcotic analgesic marketed under many names including Percocet. The therapeutic range is from 13 to 99 ug/L and the half-life ranges from 4 to 6 hours. Diazepam is a sedating benzodiazepine used to treat a number of conditions including anxiety, and muscle spasms and is marketed as Valium. The therapeutic range is from 100 to 1,500 ug/L and the half-life ranges from 21 to 82 hours. All of the above medications carry the warning: may impair mental and/or physical ability required for the performance of potentially hazardous tasks (e.g., driving, operating heavy machinery). Additionally, the combination of these four central nervous system (CNS) depressant medications may enhance the depressant effects of any single drug. The investigation was unable to identify any information about the pilot's previous medical history.
The noncertificated pilot’s improper decision to operate the powered-parachute at low altitude through mist in a confined area while he was impaired by multiple sedating medications, which resulted in his loss of control of the parachute and subsequent impact with water.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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