- Date
- March 28, 1987, 12:40 local (19:40 UTC)
- Place
- Fountain Hills, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N282ABenson B-8M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 17, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870328007569A
- Case key
- 25308
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
Witnesses stated that the homebuilt gyrocopter entered a steep climb and appeared to roll completely over. Halfway through the engine backfired and then quit. The aircraft went into a steep dive. The aircraft impacted the terrain near vertically.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N282A
- Reported as
- Benson B-8M
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1220
- Engine
- Mcculloch O-100-3, 90 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Anthony Marinello Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 29, 1986
- Departed
- Fountain Hills, AZ
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 83 total · 11 in this make and model · 41 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.