ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 270155
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| Date: | Thursday 2 December 2021 |
| Time: | 11:15 |
| Type: | Sport Copter Vortex |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N425RD |
| MSN: | 011 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2019 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Lakeport, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Lampson Field Airport Lakeport, CA (1O2) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On December 2, 2021, about 1115 Pacific standard time, an experimental amateur-built, Sport Copter Vortex gyroplane, N425RD, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Lakeport, California. The pilot was fatally injured. The gyroplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
A witness reported seeing the gyroplane flying straight and level about two miles from the departure airport. The witness reported the gyroplane then tumbled tail over nose three times before he lost sight of it below the tree line. The gyroplane sustained substantial damage when it impacted the heavily vegetated terrain.
The smell of fuel was present at the accident site and there was no evidence of a wire or bird strike. Additionally, there were no reports of downed power lines or power outages in the accident area.
Examination of the gyroplane revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The gyroplane was equipped with a horizontal stabilizer that remained intact. The engine was likely producing power at the time of the accident, because two of its propeller blades contacted the main rotor blades during the accident sequence. The main rotor blades sustained minimal damage, consistent with the gyroplane entering a low-rotor-rpm state for undetermined reasons before ground impact.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), FAA-H-8083-21, Chapter 21, Gyroplane Emergencies, if rotor force is rapidly removed, some gyroplanes may pitch forward abruptly into a power pushover event and if not corrected can continue to tumble and become irreversible.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s loss of control for reasons that could not be determined and the delayed remedial action to recover from the power pushover event.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2021/12/02/south-lakeport-plane-crash-clear-lake/?amp
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=104342
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=425RD
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 02-Dec-2021 21:43 | Geno | Added |
| 03-Dec-2021 06:44 | harro | Updated [Location] |
| 03-Dec-2021 15:28 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, Narrative, Plane category] |
| 04-Dec-2021 17:05 | johnwg | Updated [Time, Nature, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 17-Apr-2022 12:49 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 15-Dec-2023 17:20 | Captain Adam | Updated [Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report, Photo] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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