- Date
- August 12, 1985, 19:30 local (Aug 13, 1985, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- St. Charles, MO
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4741ARonald Houk RD-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850812049819A
- Case key
- 33851
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 home built gyrocopter was being flown by the owner/builder/designer who had an airplane, single-eng, land rating. Shortly after the gyrocopter took off, the eng was operating at a high RPM when a witness heard a pop/noise. Subsequently, the gyrocopter crashed in a corn field about 1-1/2 mi from the departure point. The main wreckage was found inverted. One rotor blade, the oil cooler & the left vertical stabilizer & rudder were found 60 to 150 ft from the main wreckage. Both of the wooden prop blades had shattered. The oil cooler had been installed below the eng & just forward of the prop. Its upper side had been attached with a single solid mount using an 'l' shaped aluminum strap. Its lower side was fastened with a semiflexible mounting. There was evidence that the upper mount had failed & allowed the oil cooler to move aft into the plane of rotation of the prop blades. Except for the oil cooler bracket, no pre- accident mechanical problems were found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4741A
- Reported as
- Ronald Houk RD-1
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 100
- Airframe hours
- 2
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290-G, 125 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ronald D. Houk
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Airport
- 3SL · St Charles City, runway 36, 3,800 × 75 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 27
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 52 total · 2 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- STL, 12 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.