ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 45793
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| Date: | Saturday 28 July 2001 |
| Time: | 12:20 |
| Type: | Barnett J4B |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N3919C |
| MSN: | 96 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-290 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Titusville, PA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Titusville, PA (6G1) |
| Titusville, PA | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The non-certificated pilot bought a homebuilt gyroplane. He returned it to his home and assembled it for flight. At the completion of his first test flight, he reported that it flew nose heavy. Without correcting the nose heavy situation, he then departed on a longer flight, and returned to the departure airport after about an hour's absence. Witnesses saw the gyrocopter make a pass down the runway at reduced power. During the pass, the nose dropped, the pilot added power, and the nose returned to the horizon. The pilot then initiated a steep right turn. During the turn, the nose dropped and the gyrocopter impacted the ground. Witnesses reported that the pilot had been told to "hang" the gyroplane prior to flight to check for proper position of the mast plate. However, the pilot reported that he had not completed the task. No maintenance records were available for review. The pilot did not have a current medical, and his student pilot certificate had expired. He was taking medication used to treat depression, and he was diabetic. The designer of the gyroplane reported that flight with a nose heavy gyroplane would reduce the amount of nose up control available to the pilot. In addition, loss of airspeed in maneuvering, or a power reduction/loss could also induce a nose down attitude.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain control while maneuvering. A factor was the pilot's lack of experience in type of gyroplane.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20010803X01590&key=1
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Oct-2008 00:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 10-Dec-2017 11:53 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Source, Narrative, Plane category] |
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