ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 244628
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| Date: | Tuesday 3 November 2020 |
| Time: | 13:41 |
| Type: |  AutoGyro MTOSport |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N455WM |
| MSN: | M00834 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2011 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 788 hours |
| Engine model: | Rotax 912ULS Series |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Whitewater, KS -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Mcmaster Gliderport, KS (29KS) |
| Whitewater, KS | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On November 3, 2020, about 1341 central standard time, an experimental, amateur-built MTO Sport gyroplane, N455WM, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Whitewater, Kansas. The pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. The gyroplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot of the gyroplane was conducting a personal flight with one passenger. A witness about 6 miles from the accident site saw the gyroplane flying about 300 ft above ground level and stated that the engine sounded normal. Shortly thereafter, a local landowner observed smoke originating from a field and notified local authorities. There were no witnesses to the accident. The gyroplane was found nose-down in a field with the forward fuselage buried about 2 feet below the field’s surface, and the airframe was mostly consumed by a postcrash fire.
A postaccident examination of the gyroplane revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation; however, the examination was limited due to extensive thermal damage to the airframe and engine.
While diminished reaction times and flying performance could occur from the pilot’s use of the sedating medication, diphenhydramine (as indicated by toxicology results), there was no blood concentration available. Therefore, whether the pilot was impaired by diphenhydramine at the time of the accident could not be determined.
The gyroplane’s high-energy impact with the field is consistent with a loss of control; however, the reason for the loss of control could not be determined based on the available evidence.
Probable Cause: A loss of control for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.kansas.com/news/local/article246932077.html
https://www.kfdi.com/2020/11/03/one-person-killed-in-helicopter-crash-in-butler-county/
NTSB
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=455WM
https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1450259 (photo)
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Media:
NTSB is investigating the Nov. 3 crash in Whitewater, KS involving an MTO Sport AutoGyro aircraft.
— NTSB_Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) November 4, 2020
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-Nov-2020 23:06 | Geno | Added |
| 04-Nov-2020 01:28 | Geno | Updated [Source] |
| 04-Nov-2020 10:35 | Captain Adam | Updated [Aircraft type, Embed code] |
| 04-Nov-2020 14:53 | harro | Updated [Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, Embed code, Damage, Narrative] |
| 05-Nov-2020 09:25 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 06-Nov-2020 21:14 | Captain Adam | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
| 04-Sep-2022 23:16 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report, Photo] |
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