ERA22LA134

The pilot stated that, during the takeoff roll, she felt a “shudder” just before the gyrocopter became airborne. She immediately aborted the takeoff and reduced power with the aft cyclic still applied. The gyrocopter entered a steep nose-high attitude, and a main rotor blade struck the top of the vertical stabilizer. The gyrocopter departed the left side of the runway and landed hard, which resulted in substantial damage to the rudder. Also, the nosewheel fractured and separated from the airframe. Postaccident examination of the flight controls and the fractured nosewheel revealed no preimpact mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

On February 20, 2022, an experimental amateur-built Spangenberg AR-1KC gyrocopter, N65PC, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ), Sarasota, Florida. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The gyrocopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot stated that, during the takeoff roll as the rotors reached 180 rpm, she released the pre-rotator and increased speed for a normal takeoff. Just before becoming airborne, the gyrocopter and the control stick “began to shudder.” The pilot also stated that she immediately aborted the takeoff and pulled back engine power. According to the pilot, she had the control stick “back too far for the conditions at that moment,” which caused a nose-high attitude and a rotor blade to “hit the very top of the tail on two screw heads that held the top of the rudder in place.” The gyrocopter departed the left side of the runway and landed hard, which resulted in substantial damage to the rudder. The pilot reported that she and her flight instructor examined the flight controls after the accident and found no mechanical problems that would have contributed to the accident. The nose wheel separated from the gyrocopter at the weld point where it attached to the airframe. Metallurgical examination of the fracture surfaces revealed that they failed due to ductile overstress shear fracture from impact. No evidence of fatigue was observed.