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19980724017619A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Amtr Avenger · Mentone, IN · July 24, 1998

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 24, 1998 · 13:45 local
Place
Mentone, IN
Phase of flight
Forced/Precautionary Landing
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N2223A
NTSB investigation
NTSBCHI98LA277
Reported as
Amtr Avenger
Reported engine
Lycoming O320A1A
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
1,200 total70 in this make and model10 in the last 90 days
N2223ARegistered now · Marchetti Frank AVENGER GYRO PLANES/N FM1-2000 · Built 1978Airframe modelMarchetti Frank AVENGER GYRO PLANEEngine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

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.

Acft crashed and was destroyed under unknown circumstances, pilot and passenger suffered minor inj. (.4)the pilot performed a normal takeoff and climbed to 500 feet AGL, on a 360 degree heading. When he leveled off, the gyroplane's control response 'became suddenly heavy, coinciding with an increase in rotor speed.' The pilot immediately reduced power to idle (600) RPM and attempted a precautionary landing. The aircraft pitched down and dove toward the ground. The pilot and the passenger were both pulled back on the control sticks. The gyroplane impacted into a soybean field. The day before the accident, the pilot had wide-chord (8 and 1/2 inch) rotor blades installed on the gyroplane. On a flight prior to the accident flight, the pilot noticed during rollout from a level, right, 180 degree turn, that the control stick felt very heavy. The previous owner said that the vne of the gyroplane was 60 mph. At that airspeed, the gyroplane has a nosedown pitch of 5 to 6 degrees. The gyroplane had a 10-inch chord airboat propeller installed on it. The owner said that if the engine power is reduced below 1,200 RPM, the drag, induced by the propeller, increases on the aircraft and the nose will pitch down. The engine idles at approximately 600 to 650 RPM. 'If the aircraft was fast and the pilot reduced the power to idle, he would run out of aft stick.' Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies.

As the FAA filed it

ACFT CRASHED AND WAS DESTROYED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, PILOT AND PASSENGER SUFFERED MINOR INJ. (.4)THE PILOT PERFORMED A NORMAL TAKEOFF AND CLIMBED TO 500 FEET AGL, ON A 360 DEGREE HEADING. WHEN HE LEVELED OFF, THE GYROPLANE'S CONTROL RESPONSE 'BECAME SUDDENLY HEAVY, COINCIDING WITH AN INCREASE IN ROTOR SPEED.' THE PILOT IMMEDIATELY REDUCED POWER TO IDLE (600) RPM AND ATTEMPTED A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING. THE AIRCRAFT PITCHED DOWN AND DOVE TOWARD THE GROUND. THE PILOT AND THE PASSENGER WERE BOTH PULLED BACK ON THE CONTROL STICKS. THE GYROPLANE IMPACTED INTO A SOYBEAN FIELD. THE DAY BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, THE PILOT HAD WIDE-CHORD (8 AND 1/2 INCH) ROTOR BLADES INSTALLED ON THE GYROPLANE. ON A FLIGHT PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT, THE PILOT NOTICED DURING ROLLOUT FROM A LEVEL, RIGHT, 180 DEGREE TURN, THAT THE CONTROL STICK FELT VERY HEAVY. THE PREVIOUS OWNER SAID THAT THE VNE OF THE GYROPLANE WAS 60 MPH. AT THAT AIRSPEED, THE GYROPLANE HAS A NOSEDOWN PITCH OF 5 TO 6 DEGREES. THE GYROPLANE HAD A 10-INCH CHORD AIRBOAT PROPELLER INSTALLED ON IT. THE OWNER SAID THAT IF THE ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED BELOW 1,200 RPM, THE DRAG, INDUCED BY THE PROPELLER, INCREASES ON THE AIRCRAFT AND THE NOSE WILL PITCH DOWN. THE ENGINE IDLES AT APPROXIMATELY 600 TO 650 RPM. 'IF THE AIRCRAFT WAS FAST AND THE PILOT REDUCED THE POWER TO IDLE, HE WOULD RUN OUT OF AFT STICK.' EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED NO ANOMALIES.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB CHI98LA277Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportMentone, INthe pilot's lack of familiarity with the gyroplane's performance, and his improper in-flight decision to reduce engine power to idle which aggravated the gyroplane's nose down pitch and exceeded the gyroplane's back stick authority.Jul 24, 1998 · Substantial damage