- Date
- March 16, 1984, 15:09 local (20:09 UTC)
- Place
- Dunnellon, FL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8067WSwanson/Bensen B-8M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840316005949A
- Case key
- 30980
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
The student plt was told by the owner of the acft to only taxi the acft & not to fly it. During the 6th taxi maneuver it became airborne. It climbed to about 200 ft AGL where the plt made a 180 deg turn, followed by a 90 deg turn, followed by another 180 deg turn. During this last turn, the acft was observed to 'porpoise' or fluctuate in altitude. The m/r blade began to 'flap' or cone on the 3rd 'porpoise.' The acft struck the ground & rolled on its left side on top of the plt. The owner of the acft estimated that the student plt had 23 hrs of gyrocopter time, but had not flown in the last 60 days.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8067W
- Reported as
- Swanson/Bensen B-8M
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 001
- Airframe hours
- 500
- Engine
- Mcculloch 4318A, 72 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Francis Homer Lloyd
- Registered owner
- Charles A. Swanson
- Airport
- X35 · Dunnellon Mun.
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
- 48
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 23 in this make and model · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GNV, 38 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.