# Accident 19970722019489A: Amtr RAF2000GTXSE, Brandon, OR, July 22, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 22, 1997, 08:47 local time
- Place: Brandon, OR
- Airport: Brandon State Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 43.0493° N, 124.3603° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=43.0493&lon=-124.3603&mi=10
- Aircraft: N6281Y (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: AMTR RAF2000GTXSE
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 18,000 total, 50 in this make and model, 50 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB SEA97LA176](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA97LA176) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970722019489A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

AIRCRAFT WAS ON A LOCAL TEST FLIGHT AND LOST CONTROL AFTER TAKEOFF. (.4)THE PILOT REPORTED THAT AFTER TAKEOFF THE GYROPLANE PITCHED NOSE DOWN AND CRASHED ONTO THE RUNWAY.  HE REPORTED TO THE GYROPLANE KIT MANUFACTURER THAT THE EVENT OCCURRED AT AN ALTITUDE OF 25 TO 30 FEET, AND THAT JUST BEFORE THE OCCURRENCE HE NOTED ROTOR RPM AT 260 AND AIRSPEED AT 40 KNOTS.  THE AIRCRAFT FLIGHT MANUAL GIVES NORMAL OPERATING RANGE OF ROTOR RPM AS 275 TO 310 RPM, AND STATES THAT ROTOR RPM LESS THAN 270 MUST BE AVOIDED WHILE FLYING.  THE PILOT INDICATED ON HIS ACCIDENT REPORT THAT NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE WAS INVOLVED.  THE PILOT HELD AN AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT CERTIFICATE WITH AIRPLANE SINGLE-ENGINE LAND AND AIRPLANE MULTI-ENGINE LAND RATINGS; HE DID NOT HOLD A ROTORCRAFT-GYROPLANE RATING BUT DID POSSESS A GYROPLANE SOLO LOGBOOK ENDORSEMENT DATED ABOUT 6 MONTHS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT.  THE PILOT REPORTED HIS TOTAL FLIGHT TIME AS 18,000 HOURS, WITH 50 HOURS OF GYROPLANE FLIGHT TIME.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB SEA97LA176](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA97LA176), Jul 22, 1997: Garner RAF 2000 GTX-SE (N6281Y), Bandon, OR, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain sufficient rotor RPM. A factor was the pilot's limited flight experience in gyroplanes.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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