- Date
- September 3, 2023, 19:45 local (Sep 4, 2023, 01:45 UTC)
- Place
- Falcon, CO
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N467TETitanium Auto Gyro Titanium Explorer
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20230903014139A
- Case key
- 193001
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 establish a proper airspeed before becoming airborne, which resulted in an inability to climb out of ground effect and subsequent hard landing. Contributing to the accident was high-density altitude.
Findings · 3
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 pilot reported that, during takeoff, the gyroplane became airborne after reaching 55 kts and was unable to climb out of ground effect. The pilot reported that he attempted a 180° turn to conduct a forced landing on the runway; however, the gyroplane descended rapidly during the turn and landed hard on the turf in the runway safety area. The gyroplane sustained substantial damage to the rotor and airframe. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the gyroplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot stated further that he should have delayed rotation until 60 to 65 kts to achieve the proper climb. Density altitude at the time of the accident was about 9,350 ft, which would have further decreased climb performance.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N467TE
- Reported as
- Titanium Auto Gyro Titanium Explorer
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 0046-1117
- Built
- 2017
- Airframe hours
- 374.2
- Engine
- Rotax 914UL, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Schmidt James P
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · June 12, 2023
- Airport
- KFLY · Meadow Lake, runway 33, 6,001 × 60 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 62
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 7, 2022
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 338.3 total · 82 in this make and model · 256.3 as pilot in command · 16.3 in the last 90 days · 8.9 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 0° at 0 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- KFLY, 1 nm away
- METAR
- KFLY 040135Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM SCT120 22/07 A3010 RMK AO2 LTG DSNT NW T02190072=
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 28, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 14.5 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.