- Date
- March 12, 1990, 16:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Brandon, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N6158SAir & Space 18-A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900312003879A
- Case key
- 32636
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
Improper preflight planning/decision by the pilot. A factor related to the accident was: wire(s) near the end of the runway.
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 gyroplane pilot had just made a jump takeoff & had only 20 KTS, when she saw wires ahead. She initiated a steep turn at a low altitude and the gyroplane lost altitude. Subsequently, it touched down on uneven terrain & rolled over on its left side.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6158S
- Reported as
- Air & Space 18-A
- Category
- Gyroplane
- Serial number
- 18-69
- Airframe hours
- 379
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ates, Joyce
- Registered owner
- Farrington Aircraft
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 9, 1989 · 194 hours before
- Departed
- X18
- Destination
- X181
- Airport
- X18 · Brandon, runway 18, 3,335 × 50 ft, grass/turf
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
- 37
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Unknown, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 214 total · 198 in this make and model · 129 as pilot in command · 67 in the last 90 days · 34 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TPA, 16 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.