Powrachute PC 2000 accident near Leadore, Idaho, October 25, 2009
On October 25, 2009 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Powrachute PC 2000 (powered parachute), registered N4036U, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Leadore, Idaho. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The stuck throttle cable and the pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during landing, which resulted in an inadvertent aerodynamic stall and hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 25, 2009 · about 4:30 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Leadore, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Powrachute PC 2000 · all PC 2000s on the register
- Registration
- N4036U · no longer on the register · serial A045POW
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the powered parachute reported that while in cruise flight and after increasing engine power, he discovered that the throttle cables were stuck and inoperable. He then attempted to reduce power, but the power reduction was too slow so he elected to land in an open field.During the landing flare, about 10 to 15 feet above the ground, the airplane's chute stalled, which resulted in a hard landing and subsequent substantial damage to the powered parachute. The pilot reported that there were no anomalies with the airframe or engine prior to or during the flight, and he could not determine how the throttle had become inoperative.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during enroute (cruise)
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine controls › Power lever › Malfunction other cases naming the engine
Pilot
- Flight time: 120 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Leadore ID
- Destination: Leadore ID
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.31 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from SMN, 45 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on January 29, 2010. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation | 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
- N4036U: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Powrachute PC 2000 51 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Powrachute 189 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Rotax 582 62 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Idaho 1,535 since 1982 · 288 in the last ten years
- Idaho 4,199 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR10LA032.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.