What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) On June 29, 2002, at approximately 0948 while conducting touch and go landings, a wheel-equipped experimental homebuilt denzer raf 2000 gyrocopter, N435PR, lost control in flight and collided midway of runway 16 of the Palmer Municipal Airport, Palmer, Alaska. The pilot was the sole occupant and received fatal injuries. There were several people that witnessed the gyroplane at take off. They observed the gyroplane at about 100 feet above ground level and noticed the main rotor slowly rotating and hitting the tail rudder. The gyroplane then went into a steep dive downward and impacted hard into the runway.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) ON JUNE 29, 2002, AT APPROXIMATELY 0948 WHILE CONDUCTING TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS, A WHEEL-EQUIPPED EXPERIMENTAL HOMEBUILT DENZER RAF 2000 GYROCOPTER, N435PR, LOST CONTROL IN FLIGHT AND COLLIDED MIDWAY OF RUNWAY 16 OF THE PALMER MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, PALMER, ALASKA. THE PILOT WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT AND RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES. THERE WERE SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT WITNESSED THE GYROPLANE AT TAKE OFF. THEY OBSERVED THE GYROPLANE AT ABOUT 100 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL AND NOTICED THE MAIN ROTOR SLOWLY ROTATING AND HITTING THE TAIL RUDDER. THE GYROPLANE THEN WENT INTO A STEEP DIVE DOWNWARD AND IMPACTED HARD INTO THE RUNWAY.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.