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20170604013209I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Joshua Humphreys Autogyro Cavalon · Chesterfield, MO · June 4, 2017

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
June 4, 2017 · 09:02 local
Place
Chesterfield, MO
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N509PH
Reported as
Joshua Humphreys Autogyro Cavalon
Reported engine
ROTAX 914
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
7,220 total

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.

N509PH , a gyroplane, departed spirit of st. louis airport (ksus) for a CFR part 91 pleasure flight on 26L. The pilot stated he was not getting the performance he was expecting. He checked his climb out of takeoff power, full turbo. After doing this he had indicated level flight only. At this point he added the full take off turbo power back in and requested to return to the airport and was issued a turn back to 8R if needed. After crossing power lines the gyroplane started to descend with full power applied. The airspeed was low so he lowered the nose a little to try and gain some airspeed and was not able to recover enough for a climb. As he descended he saw a gravel road between two fields and told tower he would be landing on a gravel road. He landed with a high rate of decent and the right main gear caught the edge of the field and road. This forced the nose down harder and the nose gear fractured and departed the gyroplane. The right landing gear was bent upwards from impact. The oil cooler which extends from under the lowest point of the gyrocopter fuselage fractured and there was oil loss. The left entry door plexiglas window had a crack approximately 12 inches long from the impact. There was no damage to the engine or propeller as this is a pusher propeller and is not near the ground. The main rotor blades were not damaged.

As the FAA filed it

N509PH , A GYROPLANE, DEPARTED SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS AIRPORT (KSUS) FOR A CFR PART 91 PLEASURE FLIGHT ON 26L. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS NOT GETTING THE PERFORMANCE HE WAS EXPECTING. HE CHECKED HIS CLIMB OUT OF TAKEOFF POWER, FULL TURBO. AFTER DOING THIS HE HAD INDICATED LEVEL FLIGHT ONLY. AT THIS POINT HE ADDED THE FULL TAKE OFF TURBO POWER BACK IN AND REQUESTED TO RETURN TO THE AIRPORT AND WAS ISSUED A TURN BACK TO 8R IF NEEDED. AFTER CROSSING POWER LINES THE GYROPLANE STARTED TO DESCEND WITH FULL POWER APPLIED. THE AIRSPEED WAS LOW SO HE LOWERED THE NOSE A LITTLE TO TRY AND GAIN SOME AIRSPEED AND WAS NOT ABLE TO RECOVER ENOUGH FOR A CLIMB. AS HE DESCENDED HE SAW A GRAVEL ROAD BETWEEN TWO FIELDS AND TOLD TOWER HE WOULD BE LANDING ON A GRAVEL ROAD. HE LANDED WITH A HIGH RATE OF DECENT AND THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR CAUGHT THE EDGE OF THE FIELD AND ROAD. THIS FORCED THE NOSE DOWN HARDER AND THE NOSE GEAR FRACTURED AND DEPARTED THE GYROPLANE. THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR WAS BENT UPWARDS FROM IMPACT. THE OIL COOLER WHICH EXTENDS FROM UNDER THE LOWEST POINT OF THE GYROCOPTER FUSELAGE FRACTURED AND THERE WAS OIL LOSS. THE LEFT ENTRY DOOR PLEXIGLAS WINDOW HAD A CRACK APPROXIMATELY 12 INCHES LONG FROM THE IMPACT. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE OR PROPELLER AS THIS IS A PUSHER PROPELLER AND IS NOT NEAR THE GROUND. THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES WERE NOT DAMAGED.