# Incident 20090811012339I: Amtr SPARROWHAWK II, Great Falls, MT, August 11, 2009

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 11, 2009, 17:26 local time
- Place: Great Falls, MT
- Airport: Great Falls International
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Collision: Collision on the ground
- Phase of flight: Ground/Ramp/Ma
- Location: 47.4823° N, 111.3703° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at GREAT FALLS INTL (GTF), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.4823&lon=-111.3703&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2612L, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2612L-2017-06-21) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Gulbranson E J AAI SPARROWHAWK (registry code 05628PE, https://openairdocs.org/model/gulbranson-e-j-aai-sparrowhawk) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTR SPARROWHAWK II
- Reported engine: AMTR EJ22
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 0 total, 0 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20090811012339I

## Narrative

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

(-23)  ON 8/11/09, AT 1726 LOCAL, THE NON-CERTIFICATED OWNER OF AN EXPERIMENTAL GYROCOPTER, STARTED THE ENGINE FROM THE LEFT SEAT WITH THE AIRCRAFT POSITIONED ON THE FBO RAMP.  AN EYEWITNESS LOCATED AT THE FBO DOORWAY WITH AN UNOBSTRUCTED VIEW STATED THE FOLLOWING:  ON THE FOURTH ATTEMPT TO START THE ENGINE, THE ENGINE CAUGHT AND INSTANTLY ACHIEVED A HIGHER POWER SETTING; THE AIRCRAFT INSTANTLY MOVED FORWARD, UNFETTERED BY TIE-DOWNS OR CHOCKS: THE AIRCRAFT GAINED SPEED IN AN ARCING RIGHT HAND 90 DEGREE TURN OVER 70 YDS; THE MAIN ROTOR NEVER ROTATED; THE AIRCRAFT'S BUBBLE WINDSHIELD IMPACTED THE LEFT WINGTIP OF A TIED-DOWN LOW-WING PIPER AIRCRAFT IN DIRECT LATERAL ALIGNMENT AT APPROX. 20 MPH; THE WINGTIP PENETRATED THROUGH THE GYROCOPTER'S COCKPIT AND THE OWNER SUCCUMBED TO BLUNT TRAUMA INJURY TO THE HEAD.  THE OWNER HAD NO EXPERIENCE IN THE GYROCOPTER.  THERE WAS NO INTENTION OF FLIGHT.

## Other aircraft in the event

- N3017Z: no report for this aircraft; [N3017Z](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N3017Z) is registered now

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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