- Date
- April 22, 1995, 13:10 local (17:10 UTC)
- Place
- Titusville, FL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N4711GKorzep Bumble BEE 500
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950422008689A
- Case key
- 37757
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 to maintain rotor RPM, resulting in the subsequent in flight loss of control. The pilot's lack of qualification was a factor.
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 non-certificated pilot attempted a flight alone in a gyrocopter. Witnesses observed the gyrocopter overshoot the base to final turn. They saw the rotor RPM decrease, the gyrocopter depart controlled flight and crash. No pre-existing failures of the engine or airframe were found after the accident.
Factual narrative
On April 22, 1995, at about 1310 eastern daylight time, a Korzep Bumble Bee 500, N4711G, registered to a private individual, and operated by Gabriel Applegate crashed while on approach to Rockledge Airpark, while operating on a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The gyrocopter sustained substantial damage, the non-rated pilot was seriously injured, and died from his injuries 5 days later. The flight originated from the same airpark about 2 minutes before the accident occurred.
Witnesses observed the aircraft overshoot the base to final turn, lose control, and crash. The witnesses also stated that they observed the rotor RPM decay during the turn. Examination of the wreckage by FAA personnel revealed no pre-existing engine or airframe failures. Review of available pilot records revealed the pilot did not hold any airman rating nor medical certificate. A pilot logbook was found that revealed the pilot had logged about 30 hours of flight, of which about 4 hours were in gyrocopters. The airframe and engine logbooks were not located.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4711G
- Reported as
- Korzep Bumble BEE 500 (BUMBLE BEE)
- Category
- Unknown, amateur-built
- Engine
- Arrow 500, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Applegate, Gabriel C
- Registered owner
- Thomas W. Kirby
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- X65
- Airport
- X65 · Rockledge Airpark, runway 18, 2,110 × 50 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
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 30 total · 4 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TIX, 13 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.