- Date
- April 8, 2003, 15:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- Olney, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N121CCCarterCopter Prototype
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 23, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Avation Administration
- FAA report
- 20030408004539A
- Case key
- 56772
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 extend the landing gear. A factor was his diverted attention.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
While landing on runway 35, the pilot was distracted by a twin-engine airplane taxiing on the runway and "forgot" to extend the landing gear prior to landing. The chase ground crew alerted the pilot that the landing gear was not extended. Subsequently, the pilot attempted to go around by applying full power; however, the gyrocraft impacted the runway surface.
Factual narrative
On April 8, 2003, at 1545 central daylight time, a CarterCopter prototype gyrocraft, N121CC, owned and operated by CarterCopter LLC, of Wichita Falls, Texas, sustained substantial damage during a wheels-up landing at the Olney Municipal Airport (ONY) near Olney, Texas. The private pilot and the flight test engineer were not injured. The research and development flight was operated under Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed. The local flight originated from ONY at 1530.
The pilot reported in the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) that while landing on runway 35 he was distracted by a twin-engine airplane taxiing on the runway and "forgot" to extend the landing gear prior to landing. The flight test engineer reported in the Passenger Statement Report (NTSB Form 6120.9) that the chase ground crew alerted the pilot that the landing gear was not extended. Subsequently, the pilot attempted to go around by applying full power; however, the gyrocraft impacted the runway surface.
Examination of the gyrocraft by the operator revealed that the tail boom was partially separated from the fuselage and the top of the right rudder was separated. Additionally, the propeller was damaged.
The gyrocraft, which was built from composite materials, was powered by a 350-cubic inch automotive engine, had accumulated over 360 hours. The pilot in command accumulated over 2,000 hours of flight time, 1,400 hours of rotorcraft, and 80 hours in the make/model of the gyrocraft.
The airport manager at the Olney Airport reported at the time of the accident, the winds were from the north at about 12 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N121CC
- Reported as
- CarterCopter Prototype
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 001
- Airframe hours
- 363.8
- Engine
- General Motors 350 CID, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · Part 91
- Registered owner
- CarterCopter
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · March 29, 2003 · 3.5 hours before
- Departed
- ONY · Olney, TX
- Airport
- ONY · Olney Muni, runway 35, 5,000 × 50 ft, asphalt
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 51
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- August 3, 2001
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total · 80 in this make and model · 1,935 as pilot in command · 38 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Other flight crew
- Age
- 51
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Right
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 16 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.37 inHg
- Observed at
- E15, 20 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.
Other investigations on N121CC · 5
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.