Powered parachute pilot crashes in business park

Kelsey Greffin was headed to her Southside office just before 8 a.m. Monday when she looked up and saw it — a yellow parachute with a man hanging under it, flying as a propeller powered it from behind him.

It was an odd enough sight that she recorded some video on her phone.

Then as she and co-worker Kathy Trevino drove into their office in the 11200 block of Business Park Boulevard, they heard what sounded like a branch snapping in a storm as that flight ended in a pine tree across the road.

"I heard this loud crash and turned around and he was hanging in the tree," Greffin said. "... He was definitely rattled."

"I noticed him too as I was driving to work and thought, this is odd," Trevino added.

Firefighters were called to the business park just east of the Philips Highway and Interstate 295 junction at 7:55 a.m. to find the pilot on the ground under some pine trees, pulled from the dangling seat of his powered parachute by construction workers across the road. Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department spokesman Tom Francis said the pilot fell about 30 feet and was transported to Memorial Hospital.

The pilot, who was not identified, suffered minor injuries, police told Times-Union news partner First Coast News.

The two women said they ran across the road to help, and the pilot said he was fine, initially not wanting anyone to call 911. But they heard him in pain later.

"He said he was OK initially, but I think his adrenaline wore off," Greffin said.

"You could tell he was in pain, but he said he was low enough and didn't need any help," Trevino said.

Powered parachutes have a pilot suspended underneath the canopy, which acts as the wing. The controls and seat are in a framework with wheels for landing and takeoff. Easyflight.com states many powered parachutes can fly about 25 to 35 mph.

Dan Scanlan: (904) 359-4549