- Date
- March 18, 1985, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Clinton, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8036THilliard B-8-M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850318008219A
- Case key
- 16570
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 gyrocopter inadvertently became airborne during a high speed taxi run. The plt reported that at an alt of aprx 10-15 ft AGL he 'cut the engine speed to idle, and pulled the joystick fully back to land.' This action put the gyrocopter in a nose high attitude and the rotor blades contacted the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8036T
- Reported as
- Hilliard B-8-M
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- H-0001
- Airframe hours
- 55
- Engine
- McCulloch 4318, 90 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Michael C. Hilliard
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 9, 1984 · 55 hours before
- Airport
- 25S · Eliott Field
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 29 total · 4 in this make and model · 4 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.