- Date
- October 14, 1988, 18:17 local (22:17 UTC)
- Place
- Hixson, TN
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N169WCCameron AIR Command
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 4, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881014047619A
- Case key
- 7842
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Witnesses observed the gyrocopter oscillating in the pitch axis as it passed overhead in cruise flight. A 'white or shiny' object departed the gyrocopter. The aircraft then rolled right, descended and collided with the trees and ground, inverted. One propeller blade had separated from the aircraft and was found 520 feet from the crash site. There was evidence that the separated propeller blade and one main rotor blade had collided inflight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N169WC
- Reported as
- Cameron AIR Command (AIR COMMAN)
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1 WC
- Engine
- Rotax 532, 42 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Windel A. Cameron
- Registered owner
- Windel A Cameron
- Departed
- IAO · Chattanooga, TN
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 40
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 4 total · 4 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.