Buckeye Dream Macine accident near Zeeland, Michigan, August 8, 2015
On August 8, 2015 at about 11:45 pm local time, a 1997 Buckeye Dream Macine (powered parachute), registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Zeeland, Michigan (Scott P. Headley airport). It was a personal flight under ultralight rules (Part 103). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The noncertificated pilot's impairment due to alcohol consumption, which resulted in his failure to maintain clearance from a tree.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 2015 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Zeeland, Michigan · Scott P. Headley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Buckeye Dream Macine, built 1997
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 3765
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The noncertificated pilot was conducting a personal flight in the powered-parachute. Witnesses reported seeing the powered-parachute in a left bank when it clipped a tree and then impacted terrain in the pilot's back yard. A sheriff's deputy, who interviewed the pilot after the accident, reported that the pilot "smelled heavily [of] intoxicants. His eyes were glassy, his speech slurred, and thick tongued." The pilot reported to the deputy that he had consumed "two beers earlier in the day." A preliminary breath test of the pilot showed that he had a 0.16 percent blood alcohol concentration, which is beyond the regulatory limit for pilots. Therefore, the pilot's impairment led to his inability to safety operate the powered-parachute and his failure to maintain clearance from a 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
What happened, in order
- Cabin safety event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Alcohol › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Flight time: 500 hours in all; 400 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: None Zeeland MI at 11:30 pm
- Destination: None Zeeland MI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; scat at 3,400 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from KGRR, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.