ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 202464
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| Date: | Saturday 2 December 2017 |
| Time: | 17:00 |
| Type: |  American Autogyro SparrowHawk |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N481ZK |
| MSN: | SH2004002K |
| Year of manufacture: | 2013 |
| Engine model: | Subaru 2.5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Hernando, DeSoto County, MS -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Hernando, MS (MS9) |
| Hernando, MS (MS9) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The sport pilot and pilot-rated passenger departed in the gyroplane at an unknown time. A hunter in the area of the accident site heard a loud sound similar to a gunshot, but dismissed it as another hunter. He left the area shortly thereafter and while walking, saw a grass fire; authorities who responded found the wreckage, which was about 0.17 miles from the departure airport.
The gyroplane descended through trees at a steep angle and the left main landing gear impacted the ground first; the gyroplane came to rest on its right side and was destroyed as a result of the postcrash fire. Examination of the flight controls, engine, and engine systems revealed no evidence of pre-impact failure or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.
A mechanic familiar with the gyroplane reported that the pilot had repaired a fuel tank leak several months before the accident. The day before the accident, the owner reported smelling fuel while in the cabin, but stated that he had not observed any fuel leaks. Whether the pilot identified the source of the fuel smell or made any repairs before the accident flight could not be determined. Autopsy and toxicology testing of the pilot revealed no evidence of physiological impairment or incapacitation. The reason for the gyroplane's steep descent and impact with terrain could not be determined based on the available information.
Probable Cause: Impact with trees and terrain for reasons that could not be determined based on available evidence.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=481ZK
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-Dec-2017 09:30 | gerard57 | Added |
| 03-Dec-2017 10:39 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Location, Narrative] |
| 03-Dec-2017 21:08 | Captain Adam | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Source] |
| 04-Dec-2017 16:24 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Phase, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 05-Dec-2017 16:30 | Anon. | Updated [Destination airport] |
| 11-Nov-2019 17:40 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Plane category, Accident report, ] |
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