- Date
- July 26, 1985, 10:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Oshkosh, WI
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N46ZChristopher D. Brown Gyroplane
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850726034339A
- Case key
- 12857
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot was practicing low altitude maneuvers, adjacent to the runway. When he turned to make a downwind, at the southeast end of the runway, he impacted with the terrain. Witnesses stated that they observed the gyroplane making steep turns at a low altitude and it had just entered a steep left turn, downwind at a 45 degree nosedown angle, when the gyroplane flew into the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N46Z
- Reported as
- Christopher D. Brown Gyroplane
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 121546
- Airframe hours
- 53
- Engine
- Rotax 503, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Christopher D. Brown
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 3, 1984 · 52 hours before
- Departed
- OSH · Oshkosh, WI
- Airport
- OSH · Oshkosh
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
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 83 total · 83 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OSH
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.