- Date
- July 31, 2008, 07:15 local (12:15 UTC)
- Place
- Tulsa, OK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N167SCGroom Sparrow Hawk
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20080731843989A
- Case key
- 68739
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 student pilot's failure to maintain control of the gyroplane. Contributing to the accident was the lack of recent flight instruction prior to the flight.
Findings · 2
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 student pilot was attempting to take off from the airfield when the gyroplane climbed out of ground effect. The pilot noted that the gyroplane did not want to climb or maintain altitude and began descend. The pilot commanded a right turn and the descent rate began to increase. The forced landing was set up in a nearby field. A hard landing was reported by the pilot and the gyroplane rolled onto its left side. The pilot was able to egress without assistance. A review of the pilot's log book revealed that the student pilot had not received an endorsement from a flight instructor within the prescribed 90 days of the solo flight. An NTSB 6120 was not submitted prior to the completion of this case.
Factual narrative
The student pilot was attempting to take off from the airfield when the gyroplane climbed out of ground effect. The pilot noted that the gyroplane did not want to climb or maintain altitude and began descend. The pilot commanded a right turn and the descent rate began to increase. The forced landing was set up in a nearby field. A hard landing was reported by the pilot and the gyroplane rolled onto its left side. The pilot was able to egress without assistance. A review of the pilot's log book revealed that the student pilot had not received an endorsement from a flight instructor within the prescribed 90 days of the solo flight. An NTSB 6120 was not submitted prior to the completion of this case.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N167SC
- Reported as
- Groom Sparrow Hawk
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- SH20040004K
- Engine
- Subaru EJ-22, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- 5F2 · Tulsa, OK
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 0 total · 0 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.78 inHg
- Observed at
- TUL, 4 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.