CEN19FA218

The pilot of the gyroplane departed on a local personal flight in visual meteorological conditions at an unknown time. Several witnesses saw the gyroplane descending straight down and impacting the ground near the departure airport. All major components of the aircraft were located at the accident site. No preimpact anomalies were noted with the gyroplane. The pilot had built the gyroplane from a kit about a year before the accident. As best as could be determined from his flight records, the pilot had received about 36 hours of flight instruction in the gyroplane. Autopsy and toxicology testing of the pilot revealed no evidence of physiological impairment or incapacitation, and the reason for the gyroplane's descent and impact with terrain could not be determined.

According to SilverLight Aviation, Zephyrhills, Florida, the pilot traveled to their facility on two different occasions to assemble the gyroplane from a kit under their supervision and using their tools. He completed the gyroplane in 2018 A test pilot conducted the phase 1 flight tests between May 28, 2019, and June 17, 2019. He then certified that "the prescribed flight hours [had] been completed and the aircraft [was] controllable throughout its normal range of speed and throughout all maneuvers to be executed, has no hazardous characteristics or design features and is safe for operation." On July 11, 2019, about 1230 central daylight time, a Gibb AR-1 gyroplane, N14968, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Hawley, Minnesota. The pilot was fatally injured. The gyroplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot departed Hawley Municipal Airport (04Y), Hawley, Minnesota, at an unknown time. Several witnesses to the accident were interviewed by local law enforcement. Three of the witnesses described the gyroplane descending vertically toward the ground. A fourth witness said the gyroplane spun about three times before impacting terrain. The gyroplane came to rest about 300 ft from the departure end of runway 16 at 04Y. An autopsy was performed on the pilot by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office, St. Paul, Minnesota. According to its report, the cause of death was "multiple traumatic injuries." A toxicology screen performed by FAA's Forensic Sciences laboratory found salicylate and 31 (ug/mL, ug/g) acetaminophen in urine, both of which are over-the-counter analgesics that are not impairing. The 1235 weather observation recorded at Moorhead Municipal Airport (JKJ), Moorhead, Minnesota, located 13 miles west of 04Y, included wind from 190° at 9 knots with gusts to 14 knots, 10 miles visibility, clear skies, temperature 25°C, dew point 17°C, altimeter setting 30.03 inches of mercury. The pilot held a sport pilot endorsement with a gyroplane rating. His third-class Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airman medical certificate was not valid after September 30, 2018. A flight instructor at Rotorcraft Unlimited, LLC, Tampa, Florida, reported that he gave the pilot 25 to 30 hours of dual instruction in the accident gyroplane in January, February, and June 2018. The instructor flew the accident gyroplane to Hawley and gave the pilot an additional 5.5 hours of instruction between June 20 and June 24, 2019. The gyroplane impacted the ground on a magnetic heading about 175°. The evidence at the site was consistent with the left (retreating) blade striking the ground first and twisting the gyroplane clockwise. There was a 30-ft ground scar from the impact point to the main wreckage. All of the wreckage was contained within a 50-ft perimeter. All major components of the aircraft were accounted for, including both main rotor blades, the engine, and all 3 blades of the pusher-typepropeller. No preimpact anomalies were noted with the gyroplane.