# Accident 20211018017589A: Timothy Knapp CAVALON, Cushing, OK, October 18, 2021

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 18, 2021, 17:32 local time
- Place: Cushing, OK
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.8813° N, 96.6574° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.8813&lon=-96.6574&mi=10
- Aircraft: N419LB (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: TIMOTHY KNAPP CAVALON
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Unknown or foreign certificate
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN22FA016](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN22FA016) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20211018017589A

## Narrative

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

ON OCTOBER 18, 2021 AT APPROXIMATELY 1534 LOCAL TIME, A CAVALON GYROCOPTER ATTEMPTED TO TAKEOFF FROM A PRIVATE RESIDENCE APPROXIMATELY 7 MILES NORTH OF THE STROUD MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (SUD), OKLAHOMA. THE ATTEMPTED TAKEOFF WAS IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS THE PREVAILING WIND AND ACCORDING TO WITNESSES ON THE GROUND THE AIRCRAFT NEVER ACHIEVED A SAFE ALTITUDE FOR FLIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT EVENTUALLY MADE CONTACT WITH A NEARBY FARMERS FENCE ABOUT A QUARTER MILE FROM THE TAKEOFF POINT WHICH CAUSED THE PILOT TO LOSE CONTROL AND THE AIRCRAFT TUMBLED OVER BEFORE FINALLY COMING TO REST. THE PILOT WAS NOT WEARING THE AIRCRAFT SEATBELT HARNESS AND WAS EJECTED OUT THE FRONT WINDSHIELD AND AS A RESULT WAS FATALLY INJURED. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE BUT WAS LARGELY INTACT. LATER INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE PILOT WAS NOT CERTIFICATED BUT HAD RECEIVED SOME TRAINING IN THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT AND WAS WORKING ON CERTIFICATION. ADDITIONALLY, THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT HOLDING A CURRENT REGISTRATION AS THE DECEASED PILOT WHO WAS ALSO THE OWNER OF THE AIRCRAFT HAD COMPLETED THE NECESSARY PAPERWORK BUT HAD NOT SUBMITTED IT FOR REGISTRATION.

## 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 CEN22FA016](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN22FA016), Oct 18, 2021: AutoGyro Cavalon (N419LB), Stroud, OK, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s lack of experience in the gyroplane and his decision to takeoff with a tailwind. As a result, the gyroplane did not generate enough lift to takeoff before it struck a barbed wire fence.…

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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