19970322008099I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · Amtr NIEUPORT 1 · Coalinga, CA · March 22, 1997

Date: March 22, 1997 · 08:00 local
Place: Coalinga, CA
Airport: Coalinga Municipal Airport
Phase of flight: Ground Taxi, Other Airplane
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N6934Z
Reported as: Amtr NIEUPORT1
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 10 total10 in this make and model10 in the last 90 days

N6934ZRegistration cancelled May 10, 2000 · Newport Wayne NIEUPORT 1S/N 001 Airframe modelNewport Wayne NIEUPORT 1

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: on Saturday, March 22, 1997, at approximately 0800 PST, N6934Z, an amateur built nieuport 1 gyrocopter began high speed taxi tests on the runway of the "new" Coalinga airport (C80), Coalinga, California. The pilot stated that he was not intentionally attempting to fly the aircraft but to make throttle adjustments during fast speed taxi tests. During his last fast taxi test, the aircraft encountered a brief gust of wind which allowed the main rotor blade to strike the runway and basically disintegrate. The pilot was not injured and there was no fire. Weather was clear. This incident is closed.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: ON SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 1997, AT APPROXIMATELY 0800 PST, N6934Z, AN AMATEUR BUILT NIEUPORT 1 GYROCOPTER BEGAN HIGH SPEED TAXI TESTS ON THE RUNWAY OF THE "NEW" COALINGA AIRPORT (C80), COALINGA, CALIFORNIA. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS NOT INTENTIONALLY ATTEMPTING TO FLY THE AIRCRAFT BUT TO MAKE THROTTLE ADJUSTMENTS DURING FAST SPEED TAXI TESTS. DURING HIS LAST FAST TAXI TEST, THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED A BRIEF GUST OF WIND WHICH ALLOWED THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE TO STRIKE THE RUNWAY AND BASICALLY DISINTEGRATE. THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED AND THERE WAS NO FIRE. WEATHER WAS CLEAR. THIS INCIDENT IS CLOSED.