# NTSB LAX01LA298: Sparke Air Command 582 Dual, N301CS, Gerlach, NV, September 2, 2001 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 1, 2001, 18:30 local (Sep 2, 2001, 01:30 UTC) - Place: Gerlach, NV - Coordinates: 40.319759, -118.200111 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.3198&lon=-118.2001&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report May 1, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA Flight Standards District Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 53158 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX01LA298 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/53158/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX01LA298 ## Probable cause The pilot's inability to maintain altitude because of the gyrocopter's inadequatly designed performance capability. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with terrain/water, takeoff - initial climb - acft/equip,inadequate handling/perf capabilities, pilot in command (cause) - aircraft performance - inadequate (cause) - altitude - not obtained/maintained, pilot in command (cause) ## Analysis After turning downwind following takeoff, the gyrocopter lost forward speed and began to descend. It touched down on the left tire, rolled over, and the main rotor blades contacted the ground. The pilot reported there was no mechanical malfunction. He stated the engine and propeller combination was not providing sufficient performance to operate the gyrocopter safely, and he had been modifying it since it was built 2 years previously. This was the second flight of the day after he had shifted the occupant seats to provide better airflow to the propeller. ## Factual narrative On September 1, 2001, at 1830 hours Pacific daylight time, a Sparke Air Command 582 Dual, N301CS, descended to the ground during the takeoff initial climb from a dry lake bed, 10 miles north of Gerlach, Nevada. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, was uninjured, and the gyrocopter was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight conducted by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91. The experimental gyrocopter's flight was originating at the time, and no flight plan was filed. The pilot stated that the gyrocopter was still in the testing phase of the certification process. He had built it about 2 years ago and had been modifying it in order to reach an acceptable performance level. It had been flown approximately 10 times since construction, but the pilot stated that the engine and propeller combination was not giving him the performance needed to operate the gyrocopter safely. He had recently moved the pilot and passenger seats closer together to improve the airflow to the propeller, and was testing this latest modification at a dry lake bed near Gerlach. The gyrocopter was taken to the lake bed by trailer and assembled on site. The pilot made one test flight and returned to readjust the propeller pitch setting. On the second flight, the pilot departed upwind and climbed to 30 feet. When he turned to a downwind heading, he lost forward speed and the gyrocopter began to descend. The gyrocopter contacted the ground on the left tire, which resulted in a rollover. The rotor blades then contacted the ground and were destroyed. The pilot did not note any mechanical malfunction prior to or after the accident. A report of the accident on NTSB Form 6120.1/2 was not provided. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N301CS](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N301CS-2012-03-01), registration cancelled 2012-03-01, S/N CLS01, built 1999 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Sparke Air Command 582 Dual - Registry model: [Sparke Charles L AIR COMMAND/582 DUAL](https://openairdocs.org/model/sparke-charles-l-air-command-582-dual) (registry code 05603T3) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Bombardier ROTAX (ALL)](https://openairdocs.org/engine/bombardier-rotax-all) (registry code 09050, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Gyroplane, amateur-built - Serial number: CLS01 - Engines: Bombardier unknown reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Departed: Gerlach, NV - Destination: Gerlach, NV ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 42; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC) - Wind: 160° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 88 °F, dew point 32 °F - Altimeter: 29.87 inHg - Observed at: KLOL ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20010901030949A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010901030949A), Sep 1, 2001: Amtr AIRCOMAND582, Gerlach, NV, Substantial damage. (-23) This experimental home built gyrocopter was still in its initial phases of test flights for certification. The owner/operator had performed some minor… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.