Buckeye Powered Parachutes INC DREAM MACHINE 582 accident near Federalsburg, Maryland, June 25, 2017
On June 25, 2017 at about 1:06 pm local time, a 1995 Buckeye Powered Parachutes INC DREAM MACHINE 582, registered N50130, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Federalsburg, Maryland (Private airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during takeoff, which resulted in a collision with power lines. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in powered parachutes.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 25, 2017 · about 1:06 pm local time
- Place
- Federalsburg, Maryland · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Buckeye Powered Parachutes INC DREAM MACHINE 582 NO SERIES, built 1995
- Registration
- N50130 · no longer on the register · serial 3315
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was making his first solo flight in a powered parachute from his turf airstrip. After liftoff, the pilot added power, and the aircraft climbed to about 35 ft above ground level in a continuous left turn until it collided with power line wires that paralleled the airstrip. Postaccident examination of the airframe and a test run of the engine revealed no evidence of any pre-impact mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot had diabetes and heart disease; however, it is unlikely that these conditions or the treating medications contributed to the accident. Toxicology testing detected two potentially impairing medications, the antidepressant paroxetine and the central nervous system depressant anticonvulsant/anti-tremor medication primidone. The investigation was unable to determine if the effects of the pilot's depression or the medications paroxetine and primidone impaired the pilot's decision making or contributed to the accident. A review of the pilot's logbooks revealed a single entry for an instructional flight of 1.2 hours in a powered parachute, 6 hours of ground instruction on powered parachutes, and no solo endorsement for powered parachutes. The logged ground and flight instruction occurred about 1 year before the accident, so it is likely that the pilot's lack of both recent and total experience in powered parachutes contributed to the accident.
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
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience w/ equipment › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Recent experience w/ equipment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Physical › Health/Fitness › Use of medication/drugs › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Physical › Health/Fitness › Predisposing condition › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 400 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Federalsburg MD at 1:06 pm
- Destination: PVT Federalsburg MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 600 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 8:45 am from KESN, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on October 11, 2018. 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 | Witness Statements | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo Array | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Accident Site Diagram | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Logbook Entries | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Medical Review - Factual | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | 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.
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.