Powrachute AIRWOLF accident near Gold Canyon, Arizona, January 18, 2020
On January 18, 2020 at about 4:05 pm local time, a 2004 Powrachute AIRWOLF (powered parachute), an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N260AZ, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff (rejected takeoff) near Gold Canyon, Arizona. 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 pilot's failure to maintain directional control during an aborted takeoff, which resulted in collision with a barricade.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 18, 2020 · about 4:05 pm local time · cases in 2020
- Place
- Gold Canyon, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Powrachute AIRWOLF 912, built 2004, amateur-built · all AIRWOLFs on the register
- Registration
- N260AZ · registry record · serial A-053-ULS
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that, during the takeoff roll in the powered parachute, the parachute "did not come up straight but to the side," so he aborted the takeoff. He reduced the throttle, but the powered parachute didn't slow down, and it pulled to the side of the runway. He tried applying brakes, but the front brake was on gravel and got locked up and would not turn the powered parachute, which then slid forward and hit a barricade. The steering bar and frame sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the powered parachute that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during takeoff (rejected takeoff)
- Attempted remediation/recovery during takeoff (rejected takeoff)
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff (rejected takeoff) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff (rejected takeoff)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wall/barricade › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: powered-lift
- Flight time: 550 hours in all; 190 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 550 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 290 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 7, 2019
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax URL912 (piston); 290 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Gold Canyon AZ
- Destination: Gold Canyon AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 6 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 32.27 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from IWA, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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
3 documents, released by the NTSB on June 26, 2020. 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 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | 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
- N260AZ on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Powrachute AIRWOLF 13 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Powrachute 189 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Rotax URL912 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Arizona 2,985 since 1982 · 466 in the last ten years
- Arizona 8,435 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR20CA070.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.