- Date
- October 10, 1992, 15:40 local (20:40 UTC)
- Place
- Bryan, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N532SBO'Connor SNO-BIRD XL
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921010041469A
- Case key
- 18256
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
Delamination of the rudder leading edge and subsequent jamming of the rudder.
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 demonstrating various maneuvers in his gyrocopter at an air show. He entered a left vertical spin and noted the entry was sluggish. When he added power to aid in spin development, the rudder jammed full left. Efforts to recover were to no avail and the gyrocopter impacted terrain next to the airport runway. Postaccident examination disclosed the leading edge of the fiberglass rudder had delaminated and had jammed the rudder in the full left position.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N532SB
- Reported as
- O'Connor SNO-BIRD XL (SNO-BIRD X)
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1
- Airframe hours
- 67
- Engine
- Rotax 582LC, 66 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- O'Connor, Dougas J.
- Registered owner
- O'Connor, Dougas J.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 16, 1992 · 8 hours before
- Departed
- CFD
- Destination
- CFD
- Airport
- CFD · Coulter 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
- 43
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 14,854 total · 67 in this make and model · 12,531 as pilot in command · 165 in the last 90 days · 70 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.