- Date
- September 20, 2025, 06:10 local (11:10 UTC)
- Place
- Hopkinsville, KY · Came to rest off paved surface
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N4779MEdwin Miller Calidus
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 30, 2026
- 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
- 20250920017689A
- Case key
- 201059
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 pilot’s failure to maintain control of the gyroplane, which resulted in dynamic rollover and impact with terrain.
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 pilot reported that during the fifth touch-and-go landing, after the gyroplane accelerated to about 40 knots, it began to roll right. The pilot applied left cyclic; however, it was insufficient to arrest the roll. The gyroplane subsequently entered dynamic rollover to the right, and the main rotor impacted the runway. The gyroplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder and horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the gyroplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4779M
- Reported as
- Edwin Miller Calidus
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- C00525
- Built
- 2018
- Airframe hours
- 124.4
- Engine
- Rotax 914UL, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · July 23, 2025
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- HVC · Hopkinsville-Christian County, runway 26, 5,505 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- 62
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Sport Pilot, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 157.7 total · 11.7 in this make and model · 13.8 as pilot in command · 13.3 in the last 90 days · 4.8 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.99 inHg
- Observed at
- HVC
- METAR
- METAR KHVC 202335Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 29/16 A2999 RMK AO2 LTG DSNT N=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 30, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.9 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.