Powrachute PEGASUS accident near Caddo Mills, Texas, September 28, 2023
On September 28, 2023 at about 11:30 pm local time, a 2006 Powrachute PEGASUS (powered parachute), registered N31520, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Caddo Mills, Texas (Caddo Mills Municipal 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 pilot’s inadequate rolling preflight, which resulted in a loss of directional control in flight and subsequent collision with an object during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 28, 2023 · about 11:30 pm local time · cases in 2023
- Place
- Caddo Mills, Texas · Caddo Mills Municipal Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Powrachute PEGASUS, built 2006 · all PEGASUSs on the register
- Registration
- N31520 · registry record · serial A430PEG
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that there were no anomalies during his preflight inspection of the powered parachute. During the rolling preflight, he observed the wing was inflated overhead and he did not notice any anomalies with the wing or the control lines. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot experienced an uncontrolled left turn. He subsequently executed a landing near an airport hangar and impacted a parked trailer during the landing roll. The passenger reported to a law enforcement officer that after takeoff the pilot stated that there was a problem and that the parachute was tangled. Postaccident examination revealed the powered parachute’s tubular frame was fractured. The wing’s control lines and risers were attached to their respective mounting locations and flight control continuity was established from the airframe to the wing. Based on the available information, it is likely that during the inflation and takeoff roll the pilot failed to notice a pressure knot (a tangle or knot held together by tension on the suspension lines during deployment but not otherwise present) or a line-over (a malfunction where a suspension line is misrouted over the canopy), which resulted in an uncommanded steep turn and loss of directional control after departure.
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
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › (general) › Inadequate inspection other cases naming the flight controls
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › (general) › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: powered-lift
- Flight time: 66 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 50 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 422.3 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 26, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582UL (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 6:35 pm from KGVT, 9 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KGVT 282335Z AUTO 15005KT 10SM CLR 32/17 A2990 RMK AO2 TSNO T03230170
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on November 7, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NTSB 6120 1 Form | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Police Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Aircraft Logbook Entry | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Powered Parachute Flying Handbook FAA-H-8083-29 | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Photo Array | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 6 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N31520 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Powrachute PEGASUS 112 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Powrachute 189 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Rotax 582UL 132 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Caddo Mills Municipal · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,064 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,966 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN23LA424.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.