- Date
- October 7, 2020, 17:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- North Myrtle Beach, SC · On the beach
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N40380Sparrowhawk II
- Defining event
- Enroute: Fuel starvation
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/ FSDO
- FAA report
- 20201007018459A
- Case key
- 102188
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
A ruptured fuel line, which resulted in fuel starvation to the engine and a total loss of engine power.
Findings · 1
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 pilot of the gyrocopter reported that he departed with full fuel tanks for a local flight. While flying along a coastline, the engine lost power, and the pilot navigated to complete a forced landing on a beach. During the landing rollout, the nose wheel dug into soft sand and the gyrocopter rolled over onto its left side, which resulted in substantial damage to the main rotor and empennage. Postaccident examination of the gyrocopter’s engine revealed that a rubber fuel supply line was ruptured. Given this information, it is likely that the fuel leak starved the engine of fuel, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N40380
- Reported as
- Sparrowhawk II (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Gyroplane
- Serial number
- 114
- Built
- 2007
- Airframe hours
- 566
- Engine
- Subaru 2.5, 165 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 20, 2020
- Departed
- SC21 · Loris, SC
- Airport
- None
- Equipment
- None
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
- 76
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 18, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total · 575 in this make and model · 1,500 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- CRE, 5 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 24, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 15.8 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.