- Date
- May 31, 1992, 16:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Washburn, IA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N211CLRutter 532 Commander
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920531017069A
- Case key
- 15209
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
Failure of the pilot to maintain control of the gryocopter during initial climb.
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
Witnesses to the accident saw the gyrocopter porpoise several times during initial climb. They saw the aircraft bank steeply to the left until it became inverted then descend into the ground. One witness who assisted the pilot in starting the aircraft noted the pilot appeared to be nervous before the flight. He also noted the takeoff run seemed unusually long. Post accident examination of the wreckage showed the flight control cables and hardware to be intact. No mechanical defects were discovered in the airframe or powerplant.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N211CL
- Reported as
- Rutter 532 Commander (532 COMMAN)
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- RRR-2
- Engine
- Rotax 532, 64 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Royce R. Rutter
- Registered owner
- Royce R. Rutter
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 30, 1992 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- 8C8
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
- 69
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 439 total · 7 in this make and model · 371 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ALO, 10 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.