- Date
- July 23, 1988, 13:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Baytown, TX
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N91359Air Command Elite 532
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 2, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880723027609A
- Case key
- 22484
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
Acft was observed to takeoff and turn right crosswind. Drng the crosswind, the RPM increased suddenly. The acft pitched nose downwards, impacted the ground in a vertical descent and burned. The plt/builder had a total of 5 hrs in the new acft. No evidence of pre-impact structural, rotor, or system failure was found during the investigation. A representative of the manufacturer of the kits for the acft indicated that the acft is easy to overcontrol and can lead to porpoising which is difficult to correct.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N91359
- Reported as
- Air Command Elite 532
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 3672167
- Airframe hours
- 5
- Engine
- Bombardier ROTAX 532, 64 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Robert L. Glens
- Registered owner
- Glens, Robert L
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · October 7, 1987 · 2 hours before
- Airport
- NONE · Mcalister, runway 16, 2,500 × 65 ft, grass/turf
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
- 60
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 65 total · 5 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HOU, 22 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.