tkelly1250
06-20-2006, 06:15 PM
Like so many other incident reports listed in these threads, I had a near death experience on my anniversary with my wife as a passenger. We took off and failed to get proper lift and ended up flying into a skid of landscaping bricks at the end of the runway. For others to learn from, my problem was rooted in three things: (1) I was flying a friends PC2000 Powrachute which is identical to mine EXCEPT (2) his seat is closer to the throttle than mine and (3) he doesn't fly with a helmet while I always do. As my wife and I rolled for takeoff, wind was near zero and chute was fully open. First mistake... Halfway down the grass runway we were starting to get good altitude when my baseball cap almost blew off and into the prop. I always fly with a helmet so, since my freind's PPC didn't have one, I unconsciously overlooked the problems of wearing an unsecured cap versus a secured helmet. Human nature caused me to let go of the throttle and grab my hat. Without a hand momenatrily on the throttle, we started to lose altitude. Second mistake... I reached down in a panic and believe I grabbed the steering column instead of the throttle. Remember, his seat is closer to the throttle which means I also was closer than normal to the steering column. As I pulled with all of my might, we continued to loose altitude. Third mistake... I had never really practiced aborted takeoffs or the need to visually identify a go/no go point before initiating my takeoff sequence. I should have shut the engine down (steering was no longer an option due to obstructions all around the end of the runway) but in my panic, and without a preconsideration for doing so in an emergency, we just hit the skid of bricks. My wife broke her nose and I suffered 2 fractured ribs, lots of stiches, a broken toe and the need to buy my wife a much more elaborate anniversary gift than originally planned!
Lessons learned. First, never fly another person's equipment no matter how similar it may be. Safe flying means flying smart and using good habit formed behavior to the tee. Second, I am rethinking the Powrachute PC2000's throttle and steering column situation. At the very least, I plan to change the grips so each is different. At most, I may relocate the throttle away from the steering column. Last, I will ALWAYS use a preflight checklist (I am creating one currently) which will contain a specific reminder to establish a visual go/no-go point in the takeoff procedure. I guess an additional lesson learned is to look for a larger field to takeoff and land since anotehr 50 feet and we would have been fine and enjoyed an early morning sunrise flight!
Fly safe my fellow pilots... form good habits and then religiously follow them. Cheers,
Tim
Lessons learned. First, never fly another person's equipment no matter how similar it may be. Safe flying means flying smart and using good habit formed behavior to the tee. Second, I am rethinking the Powrachute PC2000's throttle and steering column situation. At the very least, I plan to change the grips so each is different. At most, I may relocate the throttle away from the steering column. Last, I will ALWAYS use a preflight checklist (I am creating one currently) which will contain a specific reminder to establish a visual go/no-go point in the takeoff procedure. I guess an additional lesson learned is to look for a larger field to takeoff and land since anotehr 50 feet and we would have been fine and enjoyed an early morning sunrise flight!
Fly safe my fellow pilots... form good habits and then religiously follow them. Cheers,
Tim