20031012029669I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Amtr RAF2000 · Bedford, MI · October 12, 2003

Date: October 12, 2003 · 16:37 local
Place: Bedford, MI
Airport: Virgil Grisson Municipal Airport
Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N2086H
Reported as: Amtr RAF2000
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 5,300 total123 in this make and model90 in the last 90 days

N2086HRegistered now · Kern Raymond L KER 2000S/N H2-96-7-295 · Built 2003 Airframe modelKern Raymond L KER 2000 Engine modelSubaru ALL MDLS A/B4 cycle

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.

(-23) Pilot is the owner of the gyrocopter. His engine RPM was lower than expected so he adjusted the pitch of his pusher rotor by 1 degree. The result was an increase of RPM. He took off on a paved runway but the aircraft did not want to climb. He turned toward a sod field as the aircraft was losing lift. He landed straight down on the sod field in what he characterized as a hard landing. This resulted in damage to the main rotor blades and a bent mast.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT IS THE OWNER OF THE GYROCOPTER. HIS ENGINE RPM WAS LOWER THAN EXPECTED SO HE ADJUSTED THE PITCH OF HIS PUSHER ROTOR BY 1 DEGREE. THE RESULT WAS AN INCREASE OF RPM. HE TOOK OFF ON A PAVED RUNWAY BUT THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT WANT TO CLIMB. HE TURNED TOWARD A SOD FIELD AS THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOSING LIFT. HE LANDED STRAIGHT DOWN ON THE SOD FIELD IN WHAT HE CHARACTERIZED AS A HARD LANDING. THIS RESULTED IN DAMAGE TO THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES AND A BENT MAST.