- Date
- April 29, 1984, 17:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Willimantic, CT
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N196JBBenson B8M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840429018329A
- Case key
- 35422
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 gyrocopter crashed after the plt lost control of the acft in a windy condition, during takeoff. A 20 degree x-wind velocity of 10 KTS gusting to 35 KTS existed at the time of the accident. The plt told his wife (who wrote the report on the 6120.1 NTSB reporting form) that he thought if the acft had had more altitude at the time of the gust, stability of the gyrocopter could have been maintained (without an accident).
Aircraft
- Registration
- N196JB
- Reported as
- Benson B8M
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1
- Airframe hours
- 10
- Engine
- Mcculloch AF-O-100, 72 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John E. Bruch
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 10, 1983 · 0 hours before
- Airport
- 5B0 · Windham, runway 24, 4,050 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 340 total · 20 in this make and model · 300 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.