- Date
- July 20, 1990, 17:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Hearne, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N70136Huffaher Benson
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900720027699A
- Case key
- 22973
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 adequately compensate for the tail wind condiitons during a low pass which exceeded the performance capability of the aircraft. A factor was the tail wind conditions.
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
The pilot stated that shortly after takeoff, he turned downwind to make a low pass in front of the crowd and that during the pass he got 'behind the power curve' and the aircraft impacted the ground. He further stated that even with full power applied he could not keep the aircraft from sinking and that there was 'moderate to severe' turbuelence in the area.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N70136
- Reported as
- Huffaher Benson
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1
- Airframe hours
- 59
- Engine
- Mcculloch 4318, 72 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Huffaker, Richard E.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- T72
- Destination
- T72
- Airport
- T72 · Hearne Muni
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
- 67
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 59 total · 59 in this make and model · 15 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft broken
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.