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19990724009441A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Amtr SPORT COPTER · Scappoose, OR · July 24, 1999

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 24, 1999 · 12:10 local
Place
Scappoose, OR
Airport
Scappoose Industrial Airpark A
Phase of flight
Final Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Collision
Midair collision, first aircraft
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N61887
NTSB investigation
NTSBSEA99LA129
Reported as
Amtr Sportcopter
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
2
N61887Registration cancelled Apr 9, 2001 · Vanek James SPORT COPTERS/N 070Airframe modelVanek James SPORT COPTER

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 collided in mid air with an unregistered ultralight, the 2 POB N61887 suffered fatal injuries and that acft was destroyed, the pilot of the ultralight also suffered fatal injuries and the ultralight was also destroyed, other circumstances are unknown. (.19)on July 24, 1999, approximately 1210 pacific daylight time, a vanek sport copter gyroplane, N61887 and an unregistered ultralight were destroyed by inflight impact and ensuing ground impact after a mid-air collision at Scappoose, Oregon, airport. The gyroplane's airline transport pilot and non-rated passenger, and the private pilot aboard the ultralight were fatally injured. No flight plan was filed for the local demonstration flight by the gyroplane pilot or for the local flight by the ultralight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. Witnesses descibed the gyroplane as being on approach to land on the parallel taxiway, about 400 feet above ground level at the approach end of the runway. The ultralight pilot was at the approach end, where he performed clearing turns prior to take off. Witnesses described the impact as occurring when the gyroplane was descending and the ultralight was climbing after takeoff. (-23) witness statements indicate the pilot of the ultralight may have initiated a takeoff while the gyrocopter was attempting to land. The ultralight aircraft impacted the gyrocopter from underneath and behind. Gyrocopter N61887 was found lying on its right side just off the taxiway with approx. 8 feet of one rotor blade missing. Missing sections were found at the sight of the ultralight wreckage. Two propeller blades on the engine were also sheared off and found on the taxiway. Structural damage consisted of the right side landing gear bent 90 degrees and the rudder was missing. A portion of the rudder skin was located at the site of the ultralight wreckage. Both horizontal stabilizers were damaged. The engine propeller blades and other debris were found approx. 200 feet north of this location lying along the centerline of the taxiway. The ultralight aircraft was found approx. 225 feet to the south and west of the gyrocopter. The craft had impacted the ground at approx. a 45 degree angle.

As the FAA filed it

ACFT COLLIDED IN MID AIR WITH AN UNREGISTERED ULTRALIGHT, THE 2 POB N61887 SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES AND THAT ACFT WAS DESTROYED, THE PILOT OF THE ULTRALIGHT ALSO SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES AND THE ULTRALIGHT WAS ALSO DESTROYED, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN. (.19)ON JULY 24, 1999, APPROXIMATELY 1210 PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME, A VANEK SPORT COPTER GYROPLANE, N61887 AND AN UNREGISTERED ULTRALIGHT WERE DESTROYED BY INFLIGHT IMPACT AND ENSUING GROUND IMPACT AFTER A MID-AIR COLLISION AT SCAPPOOSE, OREGON, AIRPORT. THE GYROPLANE'S AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT AND NON-RATED PASSENGER, AND THE PRIVATE PILOT ABOARD THE ULTRALIGHT WERE FATALLY INJURED. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE LOCAL DEMONSTRATION FLIGHT BY THE GYROPLANE PILOT OR FOR THE LOCAL FLIGHT BY THE ULTRALIGHT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. WITNESSES DESCIBED THE GYROPLANE AS BEING ON APPROACH TO LAND ON THE PARALLEL TAXIWAY, ABOUT 400 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL AT THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY. THE ULTRALIGHT PILOT WAS AT THE APPROACH END, WHERE HE PERFORMED CLEARING TURNS PRIOR TO TAKE OFF. WITNESSES DESCRIBED THE IMPACT AS OCCURRING WHEN THE GYROPLANE WAS DESCENDING AND THE ULTRALIGHT WAS CLIMBING AFTER TAKEOFF. (-23) WITNESS STATEMENTS INDICATE THE PILOT OF THE ULTRALIGHT MAY HAVE INITIATED A TAKEOFF WHILE THE GYROCOPTER WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND. THE ULTRALIGHT AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GYROCOPTER FROM UNDERNEATH AND BEHIND.GYROCOPTER N61887 WAS FOUND LYING ON ITS RIGHT SIDE JUST OFF THE TAXIWAY WITH APPROX. 8 FEET OF ONE ROTOR BLADE MISSING. MISSING SECTIONS WERE FOUND AT THE SIGHT OF THE ULTRALIGHT WRECKAGE. TWO PROPELLER BLADES ON THE ENGINE WERE ALSO SHEARED OFF AND FOUND ON THE TAXIWAY. STRUCTURAL DAMAGE CONSISTED OF THE RIGHT SIDE LANDING GEAR BENT 90 DEGREES AND THE RUDDER WAS MISSING. A PORTION OF THE RUDDER SKIN WAS LOCATED AT THE SITE OF THE ULTRALIGHT WRECKAGE. BOTH HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS WERE DAMAGED. THE ENGINE PROPELLER BLADES AND OTHER DEBRIS WERE FOUND APPROX. 200 FEET NORTH OF THIS LOCATION LYING ALONG THE CENTERLINE OF THE TAXIWAY. THE ULTRALIGHT AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND APPROX. 225 FEET TO THE SOUTH AND WEST OF THE GYROCOPTER. THE CRAFT HAD IMPACTED THE GROUND AT APPROX. A 45 DEGREE ANGLE.

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 SEA99LA129Accident · 3 fatalLimited investigationFinal reportScappoose, ORThe failure of the ultralight operator to see and avoid the landing gyroplane, and the gyroplane pilot's inability to see the departing ultralight vehicle.Jul 24, 1999 · 2 aircraft · Destroyed

Other aircraft in the event · 1

Each aircraft in a collision has its own report.

NONEMake and model not reportedAccident 19990724009442A · Destroyed · 1 fatal