Hopkins Buckeye Industries DREAM MACHINE 582 accident near Franklin, North Carolina, September 16, 1998
On September 16, 1998 at about 12:00 pm local time, a Hopkins Buckeye Industries DREAM MACHINE 582 (ultralight), an amateur-built aircraft,, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Franklin, North Carolina (Macon County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The non-certificated pilot's inadequate judgement of the required climb rate, and his failure to attain clearance from obstacles.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 1998 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Franklin, North Carolina · Macon County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hopkins Buckeye Industries DREAM MACHINE 582 DREAM MACH, amateur-built
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had taken a passenger in his powered parachute to see her property from the air. While maneuvering inside a 'cove' the powered parachute collided with a tree, the parachute snagged on tree limbs that broke, and the vehicle fell to the ground. The non-certificated pilot stated he had miscalculated the climb performance penalty of the passenger's weight, and could not climb over the tree.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 50 hours in all; 50 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Bombardier 582ULDCDI (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1A5
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 700 ft; scat at 200 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:57 am from AVL, 45 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.