- Date
- December 2, 1988, 12:16 local (20:16 UTC)
- Place
- Petaluma, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N58EEHitchcock JH-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 24, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881202052449A
- Case key
- 26159
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.
Loss of control - in flight
Aircraft handling - improperCause
Lack of total experience in type of aircraftFactor
In flight collision with terrain/water
Analysis
Plt was on initial flt in newly-built gyrocopter. After takeoff, witnesses observed the acft to climb to about 100 feet then to nose over until ground impact. No evidence of mechanical failure was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N58EE
- Reported as
- Hitchcock JH-1
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 4-8-87
- Engine
- Rotax 532, 64 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Jerry N. Hitchcock
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · November 17, 1988 · 2 hours before
- Airport
- 069 · Petaluma, runway 11, 3,600 × 75 ft, asphalt
N58EERegistration cancelled Mar 26, 1991 · Hitchcock Jerry N JH-1Airframe modelHitchcock Jerry N JH-1
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
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,800 total · 2 in this make and model · 1,741 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 15 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.