# Incident 20180411000159I: Workhorse Group Inc. SUREFLY MANNED ROTOR, Cincinnati, OH, April 11, 2018

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 11, 2018, 10:50 local time
- Place: Cincinnati, OH
- Airport: Cincinnati Municipal Airport Lunken
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Ground/Ramp/Ma
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.1030° N, 84.4176° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at CINCINNATI MUNI/LUNKEN FLD (LUK), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.1030&lon=-84.4176&mi=10
- Aircraft: N834LW, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N834LW) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Workhorse Group SUREFLY MANNED ROTOR (registry code 056364E, https://openairdocs.org/model/workhorse-group-surefly-manned-rotor) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Emrax 268 (registry code 21980, https://openairdocs.org/engine/emrax-268) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: WORKHORSE GROUP INC. SUREFLY MANNED ROTOR
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180411000159I

## Narrative

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

ON APRIL 11, 2018, AT 1050 EDT, A (MAKE) WORKHORSE GROUP INC., (MODEL) SUREFLY MANNED ROTOR, N834LW, REGISTERED TO WORKHORSE GROUP INC., SUFFERED A ROLL OVER UPON TOUCHDOWN AT LUNKEN AIRPORT, CINCINNATI, OHIO, WHILE PERFORMING A STABILITY HOVER RESEARCH AND DEVELOPEMENT TEST. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT SUFFERED ONLY MINOR DAMAGE AND THE ATP RATED OCCUPANT WAS UNINJURED.

THE SUREFLY MANNED ROTOR IS A PROOF OF CONCEPT POWERED LIFT, EVTOL (ELECTRIC VERTICAL TAKE OFF AND LANDING) AIRCRAFT. IT IS OPERATING UNDER  AN EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPEMENT CERTIFICATE. ON APRIL 11, 2018, THE OPERATOR WAS CONDUCTING TETHERED STABILITY TESTS IN A NON MOVEMENT AREA WITH CONTROL INPUTS FROM A COMPUTER SYSTEM. THE ATP RATED OCCUPANT WAS ONBOARD AS REQUIRED BY THE OPERATING LIMITATIONS. THE INCIDENT OCCURED ON THE THIRD TEST OF THE DAY WHEN THE AIRCRAFT STARTED OSCILLATING IN PITCH. DURING THE OSCILLATION THE LANDING GEAR SKID CONTACTED THE GROUND ACCELERATING THE OSCILLATION AND INDUCING A YAW IN THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT PULLED UP HARD ON THE TETHER CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO ROLL SLIGHTLY TO THE LEFT BEFORE BOUNCING ON THE GROUND AND ROLLING OVER TO THE RIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST SLIGHTLY OVER CENTER ON THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR SKID, SUSPENDED BY THE TETHER AT ABOUT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE, WHICH ALLOWED ALL FOUR RIGHTHAND ROTORS TO STRIKE THE GROUND AND SUSTAIN DAMAGE. THE LANDING GEAR SKID WAS SLIGHTLY BENT IN A DOWNWARD ANGLE BY THE TETHER. THERE WAS NO OTHER DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT.

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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