- Date
- February 3, 2005, 10:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Puyallup, WA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N26AVSmuz RAF 2000 GTX SE
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 7, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20050203000429A
- Case key
- 60971
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The pilot's misjudged flare followed by an oscillation which damaged the aircraft.
Analysis
The pilot said that he had approximately 1,800 hours of flight experience in helicopters, and was a flight instructor for the army. He was adding the gyroplane rating. He had 13 hours of training, and this was his first solo flight. He said that on his third landing, he was performing a power off 180 degree landing. He said that he flared one to two feet higher than planned, and he added a little power to "smooth out" the touchdown. When the power came in, the engine torque rotated the nose of the gyroplane to the right. The right main gear hit the ground, and the aircraft bounced back and fourth on its main landing gear. Subsequently, the gyroplane rolled onto its right side bending its blades, mast, and horizontal and vertical stabilizer.
Factual narrative
On February 3, 2005, at approximately 1000 Pacific standard time, a Smuz, RAF 2000 GTX SE, amateur-built gyroplane, N26AV, was substantially damaged when it rolled onto its right side during a hard landing at Pierce County-Thun Field, Puyallup, Washington. The airline transport pilot trainee, the sole occupant in the gyroplane, was not injured. Latah, Inc., was operating the gyroplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local, instructional-solo flight, that had originated approximately 15 minutes before the accident. No flight plan had been filed.
The pilot said that he had approximately 1,800 hours of flight experience in helicopters, and was a flight instructor for the army. He was adding the gyroplane rating. He had 13 hours of training, and this was his first solo flight. He said that on his third landing, he was performing a power off 180 degree landing. He said that he flared one to two feet higher than planned, and he added a little power to "smooth out" the touchdown. When the power came in, the engine torque rotated the nose of the gyroplane to the right. The right main gear hit the ground, and the aircraft bounced back and fourth on its main landing gear. Subsequently, the gyroplane rolled onto its right side bending its blades, mast, and horizontal and vertical stabilizer.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N26AV
- Reported as
- Smuz RAF 2000 GTX SE
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- H2-97-8-297
- Airframe hours
- 413
- Engine
- Subaru EJ22, 107 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Latah, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- AAIP · February 1, 2005 · 349 hours before
- Departed
- S5O · Auburn, WA
- Destination
- 1SO · Puyallup, WA
- Airport
- 1S0 · Pierce Co./Thun Field, runway 16, 3,650 × 60 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
- 41
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- September 25, 2004
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,126 total · 13 in this make and model · 1,283 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.31 inHg
- Observed at
- TCM, 8 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.