- Date
- March 6, 1994, 17:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Bunnell, FL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N7014BPiotrowski GIP-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 18, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940306003639A
- Case key
- 37504
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 failure of the pilot-in-command to maintain rotor RPM in the gyrocopter on approach. Contributing to the accident was the lack of total experience in gyrocopter flying.
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 pilot was on the second supervised solo in a gyrocopter. His instructor pilot observed the gyrocopter high and fast on final approach. The gyrocopter then pitched up, the engine RPM increased, and the gyrocopter then began porpoising. The instructor then observed the rotor blades cone upward and the rotor RPM decreased. The aircraft then flipped inverted and crashed.
Factual narrative
On March 6, 1994, about 1700 eastern standard time, N7014B, a homebuilt GIP-1, gyrocopter crashed on landing attempt at Flagler County Airport, Bunnell, Florida, while on a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The gyrocopter was substantially damaged and the pilot received fatal injuries. The local flight originated from the same airport about 10 minutes earlier.
The instructor pilot had given flight instruction to the airplane-rated pilot in the gyrocopter, and had cleared the pilot for three solo flights around the traffic pattern. The pilot executed one traffic pattern, and was observed to be fast on the approach. The gyrocopter was observed to porpoise and crash as the rotor coned and the rpm decayed.
Examination of the engine, airframe and control system by an FAA inspector revealed no preexisting failures. A postmortem examination of the pilot was conducted by Dr. Terrence Steiner who reported the cause of death to be multiple traumatic injuries. Toxicological examination of specimens from the pilot were negative for alcohol, basic and acetic drugs.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7014B
- Reported as
- Piotrowski GIP-1
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 001
- Engine
- Rotax UNK, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Piotrowski, George
- Registered owner
- Piotrowski, George
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Airport
- X47 · Flagler County, runway 6, 5,000 × 100 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--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 80 total · 1 in this make and model · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DAB, 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.