- Date
- December 7, 2017, 18:10 local (Dec 8, 2017, 01:10 UTC)
- Place
- Spanish Fork, UT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N395SCBrock Steiner Sport Copter Vortex
- Defining event
- Maneuvering: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report July 5, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20171207016239A
- Case key
- 96441
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 situational and geographic awareness during the flight, which resulted in him becoming lost and exhausting the gyroplane’s fuel.
Findings · 4
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
According to the pilot of the experimental amateur-built gyroplane, during a solo cross-country flight, he became lost and decided to follow a nearby highway. Unfamiliar with the area, he exhausted the gyroplane's fuel supply and landed on a highway. The gyroplane's nosewheel struck a passing car, but the gyroplane was able to touch down and stop on the right shoulder of the highway. A passing semi-truck struck the rotor blades of the gyroplane. The gyroplane sustained substantial damage to the rotor system. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the gyroplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot in the experimental amateur-built gyroplane, during a solo cross-country flight, he became lost and decided to follow a nearby highway. Unfamiliar with the area, he exhausted the gyroplane's fuel supply, and landed on a highway. The gyroplane's nose wheel struck a passing car, but the gyroplane was able to touch down, and stop on the right shoulder of the highway. A passing semi-truck struck the rotor blades of the gyroplane. The gyroplane sustained substantial damage to the rotor system. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the gyroplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N395SC
- Reported as
- Brock Steiner Sport Copter Vortex
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 095
- Built
- 2003
- Airframe hours
- 141
- Engine
- Rotax 99 / 582 UL D, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · January 16, 2017
- Departed
- 41U · Manti, UT
- Destination
- U14 · Nephi, UT
- Equipment
- None
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
- 63
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Sport Pilot, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 10, 2016
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 218 total · 17 in this make and model · 124 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 30° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 27 °F, dew point 16 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.62 inHg
- Observed at
- KPVU, 11 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 16, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.9 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.