CEN17LA302

The sport pilot of the gyroplane stated that, upon touchdown, he should have raised the aircraft's nose to reduce airspeed; however, he allowed the nosewheel to contact the runway. He subsequently applied right rudder to maintain runway alignment. Since the nosewheel and rudder were interconnected (the nosewheel did not pivot on a caster), the application of rudder resulted in the gyroplane tipping over on its side, and both the rotor and propeller blades struck the ground. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the gyroplane.

On August 3, 2017, about 0917 central daylight time, a Hake MTO Sport gyroplane, N571UJ, was substantially damaged when it tipped over on landing at Mentone Airport (C92), Mentone, Indiana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The local flight originated about 0930. According to the pilot's accident report, when he touched down on the main landing gear, he applied "moderate" right rudder to maintain runway alignment and to avoid slipping. He stated he should have raised the nose to reduce airspeed, but instead he lowered the nose and struck the runway. The pilot explained that on this particular gyroplane, the nose wheel and rudder are interconnected; that is, the nose wheel does not pivot on a caster. When the gyroplane touched down, it 'jerked" abruptly to the right and tipped over. The pilot concluded, "This accident was the result of pilot error. There was no malfunction [of the gyroplane, flight controls, or engine]."