CEN15CA065
2014-10-16 · Branson, Missouri, United States · Serious · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed
Current FAA registration · N912AM
- Make / Model
- HUGHES AERO CORP PREDATOR
- Engine
- ROTAX 912 (80 hp)
- Seats / Engines
- 2 seats · 1 engine
- Last airworthiness date
- 20070806
- ADS-B equipped
- Yes — Mode-S AC9E25
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control when executing a landing with a tailwind, resulting in impact with a retaining wall.
Factual narrative
According to the sport pilot, following an hour long personal flight in the experimental light sport powered parachute, he made an off airfield approach to an open field next to his home. He reported that he established a normal approach to the field and lost control of the powered parachute during the landing. He reported that the powered parachute impacted a retaining wall that stood between the field and his home. The powered parachute sustained substantial damage to the airframe. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or anomalies with the powered parachute prior to or during the flight that would have prevented normal flight operation. The FAA aviation safety inspector assigned to the accident reported that the pilot had a habit of landing in the open field next to his home. During the accident approach, the pilot made the approach with a tail wind and then attempted to abort the landing. However, the pilot was unable to establish a climb and the powered parachute impacted a retaining wall that separated the open field and the pilot's home. According to the sport pilot, following an hour long personal flight in the experimental light sport powered parachute, he made an off airfield approach to an open field next to his home. He reported that he established a normal approach to the field and lost control of the powered parachute during the landing. He reported that the powered parachute impacted a retaining wall that stood between the field and his home. The powered parachute sustained substantial damage to the airframe. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or anomalies with the powered parachute prior to or during the flight that would have prevented normal flight operation. The FAA aviation safety inspector assigned to the accident reported that the pilot had a habit of landing in the open field next to his home. During the accident approach, the pilot made the approach with a tail wind and then attempted to abort the landing. However, the pilot was unable to establish a climb and the powered parachute impacted a retaining wall that separated the open field and the pilot's home. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Effect on operation - C
- — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Wall/barricade-Contributed to outcome
- C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2014_CEN15CA065.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
Matched on aircraft type. All research papers
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- NASA NTRS 2019 · Abstract "Sensor Web Evolution - Webs of Webs for NASA Science - Focus on small Uninhabited Aerial Systems (sUAS)"
This paper will describe the evolution of information collection, derivation and delivery mechanisms in webs of NASA sensor webs, with a focus on recent advancements in small Uninhabited Aerial System…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Presentation Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration in the National Airspace System (NAS) Project KDP-C Review
The topics discussed are the UAS-NAS project life-cycle and ARMD thrust flow down, as well as the UAS environments and how we operate in those environments.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2019 · Journal article (IJAAA) Crew Resource Management for Large Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations
Abstract The author explored the application of crew resource management (CRM) principles to commercial flight operations conducted by large unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2018 · Journal article (IJAAA) Manned Versus Unmanned Aircraft Accidents, Including Causation and Rates
Many consider aircraft reliability a primary deterrent to the further integration of unmanned aircraft into civil airspace.