- Date
- July 13, 1991, 07:30 local (12:30 UTC)
- Place
- Quitman, MS
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N7165PDonald R. Lee AIR Command
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 10, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910713027519A
- Case key
- 32902
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
The pilot in commands failure to maintain control resulting in an uncontrolled descent and an in flight collision with terrain.
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 gyrocopter began up and down motion or porpoising shortly after takeoff. This continued until aircraft rolled to the left and pitched down at which time it collided with the ground. The engine continued to operate until ground impact. Post crash examination of the aircraft by FAA inspectors revealed no evidence of failure or malfunction of the structure, flight controls, or engine. The main rotor blades had flexed up and down and made contact with the propeller. Available records indicated the pilot had approximately 5 hours in gyrocopters with no evidence of having received any training in gyrocopters.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7165P
- Reported as
- Donald R. Lee AIR Command (AIR COMMAN)
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- DRL-0542
- Airframe hours
- 5
- Engine
- Rotax 532, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Donald R. Lee
- Registered owner
- Donald R. Lee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 4, 1990 · 5 hours before
- Airport
- 23M · Clarke County, runway 34, 3,200 × 60 ft, asphalt
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 200 total · 5 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MEI, 15 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.