ERA25LA237

The sport pilot of the gyroplane reported that he intended to complete two airport traffic pattern circuits over a runway. He planned to conclude the first circuit with a low approach over the runway and the second circuit with a full stop landing. The majority of the first circuit was uneventful; however, about halfway down the 4,001-ft-long runway during the low approach, when the pilot applied full throttle to climb, the gyroplane did not respond as he had expected. He then pitched forward to increase airspeed and rotor speed, but the gyroplane still would not climb. As his altitude became lower, the pilot decided to perform a forced landing to a grass area beyond the runway, during which the gyroplane’s empennage and main rotor were substantially damaged. Following the accident, the pilot stated that he was not sure if the engine was unable to produce full power, or if he allowed the gyroplane to “fall behind the power curve” as he was distracted looking for traffic utilizing a crossing runway. Data download from the gyroplane’s primary flight display, engine management system, and engine control unit were reviewed following the accident. The data did not reveal evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures and showed that just prior to the pilot terminating the climb attempt, the engine rpm was increasing while the rotor rpm was decreasing, consistent with the pilot’s statement that he may have let gyroplane get “behind the power curve”. During the impact sequence, there was a sudden increased in throttle position along with a rapid spike in engine rpm, beyond its maximum rated speed, likely due to the propeller blades shearing off and unloading resistance on the engine.

On June 23, 2025, about 0955 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Gyro Technic GT-VX2 gyroplane, N62XF, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Swansea, New Hampshire. The sport pilot sustained minor injuries. The gyroplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The sport pilot reported that he intended to complete two airport traffic pattern circuits on runway 32 at Dillan/Hopkins Airport (EEN), Keene, New Hampshire. He planned to conclude the first circuit with a low approach over the runway and the second circuit with a full stop landing. The first circuit was uneventful. During the low approach, while the gyroplane was near the mid-point of the 4,001-ft-long runway, about 50 ft above the runway, and at an airspeed about 50 mph, the pilot applied full throttle, but the gyroplane would not climb. He then pitched forward to increase airspeed and rotor speed, but the gyroplane would still not climb. As his altitude became lower, the pilot decided to perform a forced landing to a grass area beyond the runway, rather than the harder asphalt runway. During the landing, the gyroplane landed hard, bounced, and rolled over, coming to rest on its left side. The pilot further stated that he was not sure if the engine was unable to produce full power, or if he allowed the gyroplane to “fall behind the power curve” as he was also visually scanning for two airplanes in the airport traffic pattern that were utilizing runway 2. Postaccident examination of the gyroplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the empennage and main rotor blades. The gyroplane’s primary flight display (PFD), engine management system (EMS), and engine control unit (ECU) were retained for data download. Review of data downloaded from the ECU revealed that 18 minutes, 34 seconds elapsed from the time of engine start until impact. During that time, no errors, warnings, or abnormal parameters were logged that would have precluded normal operation of the engine. During climb on the accident flight, the throttle was advanced to 96.29% and the engine responded normally, reaching an rpm of 5,048.48. Just prior to the accident, the gyroplane’s descent lasted 2 minutes, 38 seconds. The pilot then reduced throttle position to 49% and the engine rpm decreased to 3,278. About 3 seconds later, the throttle position suddenly increased along with a rapid spike in engine rpm, beyond limits of 5,500, to 6,806. Review of data downloaded from the gyroplane’s PFD and EMS revealed that just prior to reduction in engine power for the forced landing, the engine power rpm was increasing while the rotor rpm was decreasing.