# Accident 20190819017829A: Shirley Carl L SPORTCOPTER VORTEX, Viroqua, WI, August 19, 2019

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 19, 2019, 18:34 local time
- Place: Viroqua, WI
- Airport: Viroqua Regional Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 43.5828° N, 90.9144° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=43.5828&lon=-90.9144&mi=10
- Aircraft: N634SC, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N634SC-2019-12-30) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Shirley Carl L SPORTCOPTER VORTEX (registry code 05617ZJ, https://openairdocs.org/model/shirley-carl-l-sportcopter-vortex) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rotax SEE BOMBADIER (registry code 55555, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-see-bombadier) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SHIRLEY CARL L SPORTCOPTER VORTEX
- Reported engine: ROTAX SEE BOMBADIER
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN19FA276](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN19FA276) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190819017829A

## Narrative

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

ON AUGUST 19, 2019, AT APPROXIMATELY 18:30 LOCAL TIME, AIRCRAFT N634SC AN AMATEUR BUILT EXPERIMENTAL GYROCOPTER, A SPORTCOPTER VORTEX, DEPARTED RUNWAY 29 AT THE VIROQUA MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, VIROQUA, WI (Y51) WITH AN EXPIRED STUDENT PILOT AT THE CONTROLS. THE WITNESSES REPORTED THE PILOT WAS PRACTICING TAXING BACK AND FORTH. ON THE LAST TAXI DOWN RUNWAY 29 THE AIRCRAFT BECAME AIRBORNE. THE AIRCRAFT CIRCLED AROUND AND FLEW OVER RUNWAY 29 AND DEPARTED THE AIRPORT. THE WITNESS HEARD THE ENGINE STOP, THE AIRCRAFT WAS OUT OF SIGHT AT THE TIME. A WITNESS HEARD A THUD SOUND AND SHORTLY AFTER SMOKE WAS SEEN NEAR THE LAST VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE AIRCRAFT. A WITNESS WHO SAW THE SMOKE WENT TO INVESTIGATE AND FOUND THE MAIN ROTOR FIRST THEN APPROXIMATELY 20-40 FEET AFTER THE REMAINING PORTION OF THE AIRCRAFT ON FIRE. THE LOCATION OF THE ROTOR AND REMAINING PORTION OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS ABOUT .40 MILE FROM THE RUNWAY IN A CORN/ALFALFA FIELD CONSISTENT WITH THE LAST KNOWN DIRECTION OF TRAVEL AT AN APPROXIMATE HEADING OF 290 DEGREES. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED BY THE IMPACT AND SUBSEQUENT FIRE. THE PILOT RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES FROM THE ACCIDENT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CEN19FA276](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN19FA276), Aug 19, 2019: Shirley Carl Sportcopter Vortex (N634SC), Viroqua, WI, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The noncertificated pilot's loss of control of the gyrocopter after a total loss of engine power due to seizure of the crankshaft bearings. Contributing to the accident were the insufficient…

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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