Apco Powered Parachute accident near Wolf Point, Montana, June 29, 2004
On June 29, 2004 at about 2:30 am local time, a Apco Powered Parachute, registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Wolf Point, Montana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's loss of control as a result of trying a low altitude quick turning maneuver. A factor was the pilot's lack of experience in the aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 29, 2004 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Wolf Point, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Apco Powered Parachute
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A family member said the pilot had previously mentioned to her that there was a way to make the airplane turn quicker by pulling harder on some of the cables that control the parachute. On the flight prior to the accident she didn't feel comfortable with some of the turns the pilot was making and wanted him to land. While watching the next flight, estimated to be 500 feet above the ground, she observed the aircraft make some tight turns and lose altitude before impacting the ground and erupt into flames. An instructor pilot, who had only given the pilot ground instruction on how to fly the aircraft, had previously advised the pilot that he needed more instruction before he would be able to fly the airplane. The instructor subsequently discovered that the pilot had been flying the plane since he first purchased it. The instructor again advised the pilot that he needed to get additional instruction and the pilot agreed; however, this never happened. Shortly after the accident occurred a family member told the instructor that the pilot had given her a ride and was making sharp turns with the airplane, which she felt was the cause of the accident. The instructor said that pulling in too much steering line can collapse the side of the parachute the line is on. The instructor believed the pilot was unable to re-inflate the parachute before impacting the ground after the steering lines became entangled.
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
- Medical certificate: None
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine:; 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Wolf Point MT at 2:20 am
- Destination: Wolf Point MT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 am from OLF, 10 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.