ANC21LA004

The pilot of the gyroplane was conducting a personal flight with one passenger. A witness about 6 miles from the accident site saw the gyroplane flying about 300 ft above ground level and stated that the engine sounded normal. Shortly thereafter, a local landowner observed smoke originating from a field and notified local authorities. There were no witnesses to the accident. The gyroplane was found nose-down in a field with the forward fuselage buried about 2 feet below the field’s surface, and the airframe was mostly consumed by a postcrash fire. A postaccident examination of the gyroplane revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation; however, the examination was limited due to extensive thermal damage to the airframe and engine. While diminished reaction times and flying performance could occur from the pilot’s use of the sedating medication, diphenhydramine (as indicated by toxicology results), there was no blood concentration available. Therefore, whether the pilot was impaired by diphenhydramine at the time of the accident could not be determined. The gyroplane’s high-energy impact with the field is consistent with a loss of control; however, the reason for the loss of control could not be determined based on the available evidence.

Review of the pilot’s logbook revealed that, during previous flights in the months before the accident, the pilot had reported “hog hunt,” recon of fields, and “off-airport.” Pictures supplied by the local law enforcement revealed that three pistols were found at the accident site with the wreckage. The pilot’s truck was located at 29KS with about 10 gallons of additional fuel located in gas cans in the trailer. The gyroplane was equipped with a nose gear wheel chassis, two-seat tandem configuration, and an extruded aluminum rotor. The rotor head was controlled with connecting rods and the rudder was controlled with cables and push-pull cables. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aviation safety inspector who responded to the accident site, the gyroplane was equipped with standard flight gauges and no devices that contained nonvolatile memory. On November 3, 2020, about 1341 central standard time, an experimental, amateur-built MTO Sport gyroplane, N455WM, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Whitewater, Kansas. The pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. The gyroplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot departed from McMaster Gliderport (29KS), about 5 miles northeast of Wichita, Kansas. A witness, who was about 5.8 miles away from the accident site, stated that he saw a small green “helicopter type aircraft” as it flew in a southeast direction. According to the witness, the engine sounded normal, and the aircraft appeared to be flying above the tree line about 300 ft above the ground. The witness did not observe the accident sequence. A local landowner observed smoke originating from a field and notified local authorities, who responded to the accident site. There were no witnesses to the accident. An autopsy of the pilot was performed by the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center, Wichita, Kansas. The cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries, and the manner of death was ruled an accident. The FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory performed toxicology testing on samples from the pilot. Ethanol and drugs of abuse were not detected. Meloxicam and atorvastatin were detected and were reported on the most recent medical exam (2017) and are acceptable for pilots. Diphenhydramine was also detected. Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) is a non-prescription antihistamine for treating seasonal allergies and can cause sedation. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) was also detected. The pilot, who was the owner of the aircraft, held a sport endorsement for gyroplane. The pilot’s logbook pages were supplied by the family, in which the pilot recorded about 44 hours total in a gyroplane; with 27.5 hours total time in the accident gyroplane. The pilot had completed the requirements for operation under BasicMed in December 2019. The gyroplane came to rest on a southerly heading in a nose-down attitude in a grass field at an elevation about 1,630 ft mean sea level. Theforward fuselage was buried about 2 feet below the field’s surface and the airframe was heavily consumed by postcrash fire. All the major pieces of the gyroplane were located at the accident site. A postaccident examination of the gyroplane revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.