20250716009689A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Littleton David A TWINSTAR · Greencastle, IN · July 16, 2025

Date: July 16, 2025 · 13:30 local
Place: Greencastle, IN
Airport: Putnam County Regional
Phase of flight: Takeoff: Departure Roll
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N45CL
NTSB investigation: NTSBCEN25LA256
Reported as: Littleton David A Twinstar
Reported engine: Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 1
Pilot’s certificates: Flight instructor, private pilot, student
Pilot’s flight hours: 560 total61 in the last 90 days

N45CLRegistered now · Littleton David A TWINSTARS/N 004 · Built 1996 Airframe modelLittleton David A TWINSTAR Engine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

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.

On July 16, 2025 at approxiamtely 1330 local time, at the Putnam county airport (gpc) in Greencastle Indiana; an amature built Twinstar single engine gyrocoptor's pilot lost control while taking off from runway 18. The loss of control caused the rotors and propeller to contact the runway causing substantial damage to the aircraft and minor injuries to the pilot.

As the FAA filed it

ON JULY 16, 2025 AT APPROXIAMTELY 1330 LOCAL TIME, AT THE PUTNAM COUNTY AIRPORT (GPC) IN GREENCASTLE INDIANA; AN AMATURE BUILT TWINSTAR SINGLE ENGINE GYROCOPTOR'S PILOT LOST CONTROL WHILE TAKING OFF FROM RUNWAY 18. THE LOSS OF CONTROL CAUSED THE ROTORS AND PROPELLER TO CONTACT THE RUNWAY CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT AND MINOR INJURIES TO THE PILOT.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB CEN25LA256Accident · Minor injuriesClass 4 · LimitedFinal reportGreencastle, INThe pilot’s failure to maintain pitch control during takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inexperience in the accident gyroplane.Jul 16, 2025 · Substantial damage