- Date
- July 4, 1993, 14:34 local (18:34 UTC)
- Place
- Mount Holly, NJ
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N6606BWernega Benson KB-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 27, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930704021899A
- Case key
- 8781
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's improper use of the gyroplane's flight controls.
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
Pilot witnesses observed the gyroplane take off, fly a circuit around the airport, and then perform a low pass over the runway. It was then observed to climb up to about 200 ft, then abruptly level off. The rotor blade struck the rudder, and the gyroplane descended and impacted the terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6606B
- Reported as
- Wernega Benson KB-2 (BENSON KB-)
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Engine
- Unknown, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- John Wernega
- Registered owner
- John Wernega
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- 7MY
- Airport
- 7MY · South Jersey Regional, runway 26, 3,911 × 50 ft, asphalt
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
- 65
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 300 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TTN, 20 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.