ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 346563
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| Date: | Friday 13 October 2023 |
| Time: | 13:00 |
| Type: |  Rotorsport UK MTOsport |
| Owner/operator: | Agusa PC Inc |
| Registration: | N975CD |
| MSN: | RSUK-M0199 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Easton Airport (ESN/KESN), Easton, MD -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Easton Airport, MD (ESN/KESN) |
| Fredericksburg, VA | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
On October 13, 2023, at 1300 eastern daylight time, a Rotorsport Uk Ltd Mtosport 2017 gyroplane, N975CD, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Easton Airport/Newman Field (ESN), Easton, Maryland. The pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot was a former military helicopter pilot and had stopped flying for about 18 years. He recently returned to flying and decided that a gyroplane was the easiest and most economical transition. The pilot conducted gyroplane training in the Mtsoport 2017 from a local distributor (who was also a flight instructor) and then purchased a new gyroplane directly from the factory. The gyroplane was delivered in September 2023.
Before the pilot took delivery of the gyroplane, he conducted two flights with the flight instructor/distributor for a total of about 1 hour of dual instruction. The pilot said the gyroplane flew “beautifully…like a Ferrari.” He took official delivery of the gyroplane and then decided to fly the gyroplane to his home in Virginia that same day.
The pilot said that before he departed, he performed the abbreviated preflight checklist, which included checking the flight controls, and found no issues. He then started the gyroplane and taxied to the active runway, where he performed the before-takeoff checklist. There were no issues with the flight controls during the taxi or take-off check.
The pilot then departed runway 4. He said he pre-rotated to 200 rpm and the gyroplane began to roll forward. Once he got “wheel balance”, he increased rpm, and the gyroplane lifted off the ground. When the gyroplane was about 5 ft above the runway, it made an uncommanded 30° yaw to the right. He tried to correct with full left pedal, but there was no response. The pilot said his only option was to reject the takeoff. He reduced power, pushed the nose forward, then pulled the controls back in an attempt to make a soft landing. The pilot stated that the main rotor blades flapped, and that he could not recall if the gyroplane then rolled left or right before it “dropped” vertically about 15-20 ft to the ground. After the gyroplane came to a stop, the pilot manually turned off the engine.
The pilot did not know why the gyroplane yawed but recalled that the control stick stayed in his hand, and he felt no feedback in the rudder pedals. He further stated that there were no birds in the vicinity and the wind was calm.
A postaccident examination of the gyroplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aviation safety inspector found no preaccident discrepancies or mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation of the flight controls.
Sources:
https://www.wbaltv.com/article/plane-crash-on-runway-easton-airport/45532935
NTSB
FAA
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 13-Oct-2023 21:06 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 15-Oct-2023 06:53 | nhofmann54 | Updated |
| 16-Oct-2023 17:33 | harro | Updated |
| 17-Oct-2023 17:12 | nhofmann54 | Updated |
| 08-Nov-2023 22:07 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category] |
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