- Date
- May 4, 2018, 20:00 local (May 5, 2018, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Calhoun, GA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N533EAChristopher Lord ELA Eclipse 10
- Defining event
- Enroute: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 24, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180504014959A
- Case key
- 97231
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 student pilot’s failure to maintain sufficient airspeed, which resulted in a loss of altitude and necessitated a sudden descent to unsuitable terrain.
Findings · 5
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 solo student gyroplane pilot reported that he "was flying behind the power curve," and the gyroplane lost altitude. He added that he couldn't tell if there were power lines ahead and decided to conduct a "hard vertical de[s]cent landing." The terrain was uneven, and the gyroplane rolled onto its side during landing. The student added that, before he decided to land, he got distracted for a few seconds and descended below a safe altitude. The gyroplane sustained substantial damage to the rotor, fuselage, and empennage. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the gyroplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The solo student gyroplane pilot reported that, he "was flying behind the power curve," and the gyroplane lost altitude. He added that he couldn't tell if there were powerlines ahead and decided to do a "hard vertical decent landing." The terrain was uneven, and the gyroplane rolled on to its side during landing. The gyroplane sustained substantial damage to the rotor, fuselage, and empennage. The student added that prior to his decision to land, he got distracted for a few seconds, and descended below a safe altitude. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failure or malfunctions with the gyroplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N533EA
- Reported as
- Christopher Lord ELA Eclipse 10 (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 05175331014
- Built
- 2017
- Airframe hours
- 75
- Engine
- Rotax 914, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · November 1, 2017
- Departed
- CZL · Calhoun, GA
- Destination
- CZL · Calhoun, GA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Equipment
- Onboard weather
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
- 54
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Unknown
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 150 total · 35 in this make and model · 150 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 1.5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Observed at
- KDNN, 18 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 1, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.8 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.