CAMBRIDGE JCT, MI, USA
N351R
Howard Aircraft Corp. TIERRA II
THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED FLYING APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET AGL WHEN IT BEGAN A LEFT HAND TURN. WITNESSES STATED THAT DURING THIS TURN, THE ENGINE SEEMED TO LOSE POWER, THE AIRPLANE STARTED TO DESCEND, AND THE BALLISTIC PARACHUTE DEPLOYED. THE AIRPLANE THEN DESCENDED INTO TREES WITH A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. AN ON SCENE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE PARACHUTE SHROUD LINE, WHICH WAS ATTACHED TO THE WING'S MAIN SPAR, HAD ENTANGLED ITSELF AROUND THE PUSHER ENGINE'S PROPELLER SHAFT. A WEIGHT AND BALANCE CALCULATION REVEALED THE AIRPLANE WAS APROXIMATELY 200 POUNDS ABOVE ITS GROSS WEIGHT LIMIT, AND ITS CENTER OF GRAVITY WAS .4 OF AN INCH FORWARD OF THE FORWARD LIMIT. THE PARACHUTE WAS PAST DUE FOR ITS TWO YEAR INSPECTION.
ENTANGLEMENT OF THE EMERGENCY BALLISTIC PARACHUTE WITH THE AIRPLANE'S PROPELLER SHAFT AFTER IT DEPLOYED FOR AN UNDETERMINED REASON. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: THE AIRCRAFT'S WEIGHT AND BALANCE LIMIT WAS EXCEEDED BY THE PILOT.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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