- Date
- September 13, 1986, 11:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Cooperstown, PA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6154Tapaszy Benson B-8-M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860913044709A
- Case key
- 30213
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 benson B-8-M gyrocopter was observed to take off and transition to level flight. The nose of the aircraft was then observed to dip and then the aircraft banked left and crashed. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot received fatal injuries. No pre-existing failure or malfunction was found. The reason for the loss of control could not be determined. The plts flt time was not reported or available. The plt was not certificated for flt.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6154
- Reported as
- Tapaszy Benson B-8-M (BENSON B-8)
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1
- Engine
- Volkswagen 1600CC, 82 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Mario C. Hajduk
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · May 31, 1979
- Departed
- Cooperstown, PA
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
- 37
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FKL, 10 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.