- Date
- October 26, 2017, 12:40 local (16:40 UTC)
- Place
- Bristol, TN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N230MGJohn A Brewer ELA Aviacion 10 Ecli
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 14, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20171026024649A
- Case key
- 96252
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 lateral control during the landing roll.
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 of the gyroplane reported that, when he returned to the airport for landing, the wind was calm. After touchdown, the gyroplane was on a slow roll when the tower controller asked the pilot if he wanted to exit at intersection Charlie. The pilot was about to reply to the controller when the gyroplane unexpectedly tipped over and came to rest on its side. The gyroplane sustained substantial damage to the horizontal and vertical stabilizers. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the gyroplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the gyroplane reported that when he returned to the airport for landing, the winds were calm. After touchdown, the gyroplane was on a slow roll when the tower controller asked him if he wanted to exit at intersection Charlie. The pilot was about to reply to the controller when the gyroplane unexpectedly tipped over and came to rest on its side. The gyroplane sustained substantial damage to the horizontal and vertical stabilizers. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the gyroplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N230MG
- Reported as
- John A Brewer ELA Aviacion 10 Ecli (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1014
- Built
- 2016
- Airframe hours
- 104
- Engine
- Rotax 914 UL, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · September 19, 2017
- Departed
- TRI · Bristol, TN
- Destination
- TRI · Bristol, TN
- Airport
- TRI · Tri-Cities, runway 23, 8,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B, Onboard weather, 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
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 25, 2017
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,570 total · 24 in this make and model · 1,480 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KTRI, 1 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 28, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 975 KB 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.