- Date
- October 2, 2017, 15:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- McCoy, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N818PBCharles A Brazil MTO Sport
- Defining event
- Landing: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 18, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20171002011569A
- Case key
- 96128
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 failure to maintain clearance from a powerline during landing.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The student pilot was conducting a personal flight in the gyrocopter and planned on landing near his residence. The pilot reported that he made a normal approach near the powerlines; however, a gust of wind pushed the gyrocopter downward and the left landing gear caught a powerline. The pilot lost control of the gyrocopter and it impacted a road and came to rest on its right side. The accident is consistent with the pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from a powerline during the landing approach.
Factual narrative
On October 2, 2017, about 1515 central daylight time, an MTO Sport gyroplane, N818PB, impacted a power line and terrain near McCoy, Texas. The student rated pilot received serious injuries and the gyrocopter was substantially damaged during the accident. The gyrocopter was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. The pilot reported to the responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that he planned to land near his residence. The pilot reported that he made a normal approach near the power lines; however, a gust of wind pushed the gyrocopter downward and the left landing gear caught the power line. The pilot lost control of the gyrocopter and it impacted a roadway and came to rest on its right side. The main rotor had separated from the mast and substantial damaged was noted to the fuselage. The Hobbs meter read 47.92 hours. A review of FAA records revealed that the pilot purchased the kit in January 2017, and the gyrocopter received its airworthiness certificate on September 4, 2017. The pilot did not return a completed Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident form (NTSB 6120.1).
Aircraft
- Registration
- N818PB
- Reported as
- Charles A Brazil MTO Sport (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- M01394
- Airframe hours
- 47.92
- Engine
- Rotax, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Destination
- McCoy, TX
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
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Unknown
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 47 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- KPEZ, 20 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 8, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 10.4 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.