CEN20TA007

The sport pilot was departing for a personal, cross-country flight in a gyroplane from a field through an opening of trees. During departure, the pilot realized that the gyroplane did not have sufficient altitude to clear trees. The pilot maneuvered the gyroplane, but it impacted trees and then came to rest nose down on the left side of the fuselage. The pilot reported that there no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot added that the accident could have been prevented by "measuring the length of the field before taking off." Therefore, it is likely that the pilot's failure to adequately assess the suitability of the field for takeoff resulted in the collision with trees.

On October 12, 2019, about 1530 central daylight time, an amateur-built experimental AutoGyro GmbH MTO Sport gyroplane, N498AG, impacted trees during takeoff from a remote field near Montgomery, Texas. The sport pilot sustained serious injuries and the passenger sustained minor injuries. The gyroplane sustained substantial damage. The gyroplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a visual flight rules personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from a private ranch near Hempstead, Texas, about 1445, and was destined for the Livingston Municipal Airport (00R), Livingston, Texas. The pilot reported that while inflight, his electronic tablet he was utilizing for navigation failed. The pilot decided to land to a field in a private ranch and troubleshoot the electronic tablet. After troubleshooting the tablet, the pilot departed from the field to the northwest. During the takeoff toward an opening in the trees, the pilot realized that was not adequate obstacle clearance. He turned to the south and the gyroplane impacted trees. After impacting the trees, the gyroplane came to rest in a nose-down profile on the left side of the fuselage as shown below in figure 1. The pilot and passenger were able to egress from the wreckage without further incident. Figure 1 – View of the wreckage (courtesy of the pilot). The gyroplane was not equipped with an emergency locator transmitter, nor was it required to be. After the accident, hunters on the property transported the occupants to a highway where first responders were contacted. The gyroplane sustained substantial damage to the main rotor system, the fuselage, and the empennage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe and engine that would have precluded normal operation. In the safety recommendation section of the NTSB Accident/Incident Reporting Form 6120.1, the pilot reported that the accident could have been prevented by "measuring the length of the field before taking off."