WPR13FA074

The pilot was practicing touch-and-go landings at a private airport. While in the traffic pattern, the gyrocopter collided with the terrain following a loss of control while the pilot was maneuvering at a low altitude. One witness saw the gyrocopter descending and impacting the ground nose first. Another stated that the gyrocopter and pilot performance were normal and unremarkable before the accident. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

The single seat, gyrocopter, serial number 020, was manufactured in 2007. It was powered by a Rotax type 582 engine, serial number 4656450, rated at 65 horsepower. The gyrocopter was also equipped with a warp drive, three blade, fixed pitch propeller. The private airport is non-towered, with an estimated measured field elevation of 443 feet. The airport was equipped with a hardened dirt runway; runway 16/34 (about 2,700 feet long by 25 feet wide). On December 23, 2012, about 1427 mountain standard time, a Charland Vortex, gyrocopter, N618TC, sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain near a private airport near Wellton, Arizona. The gyrocopter was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant of the gyrocopter, was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight that departed the private airport about 1400. One of the witnesses to the accident was also a gyrocopter pilot and knew the accident pilot personally. He stated that he was flying in the traffic pattern with the accident pilot, in another gyrocopter. They were performing numerous touch and go landings and were in radio contact with each other. He stated that the accident pilot had replaced the oil sump before flying that day. Traffic patterns were being flown with left turns at about 400 feet above ground level (agl). When the witness observed the accident pilot perform touch and go landings, he stated that the gyrocopter and pilot performance were normal and unremarkable. The witness stated that he had landed and was attempting another takeoff when he noticed the wreckage of the accident gyrocopter to his left. He aborted his takeoff and went to the crash site to render assistance. A second witness was located near the airport reported seeing and hearing the gyrocopters flying around the airport. He looked up and saw a gyrocopter at about 100 feet above the ground, descending and hitting the ground hard, nose first. He estimated the descent angle to be about 45 degrees. He responded to the accident site to render his assistance. At the site, he observed fuel leaking out of the gyrocopter. The Yuma County Regional Medical Center conducted an autopsy on the pilot on December 25, 2012. The medical examiner determined that the cause of death was "blunt force trauma." The FAA's Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed toxicology tests on the pilot. According to CAMI's report, carbon monoxide, cyanide, volatiles, and drugs were tested, and had negative findings. A review of recorded data from the Yuma Marine Corp Air Station, Yuma, Arizona automated weather observation station, located about 39 miles south of the accident site, revealed at 1355 conditions were wind from WNW degrees at 5.8 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear sky, temperature 64.9 degrees Fahrenheit,dew point 33.1 degrees Fahrenheit, and an altimeter setting of 30.07 inches of Mercury. Using the reported weather conditions and field elevation, the calculated density altitude was about 844 feet. The pilot, age 64, held a private pilot certificate with a single engine, glider and sport rating. The pilot was issued a third-class airman medical certificate on April 27, 2007, with no limitations stated. The pilot reported on his most recent medical certificate application; that he had accumulated 80 total flight hours and 4 hours in the last six months. According to the pilot logbook, the pilot had accumulated 126 total flight hours. The total time logged in the accident gyrocopter was 13.3 hours. Investigators examined the wreckage at the facilities of Air Transport in Phoenix, Arizona, on February 22, 2013. A complete report of the airframe and engine examination is in the public docket. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed substantial impact damage. The post accident examination revealed no evidence of mechanical anomalies or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Examination of the accident site by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator -in-charge (IIC) revealed that the gyrocopter impacted terrain about 40 feet west of runway 16 at coordinates 32:39.528N and 114:00.433W, and an elevation of 443 feet. All major structural components of the gyrocopter were located within the 85-feet long, debris path. The debris path consisted mostly of portions of the broken propeller blades. The first identified point of contact (FIPC) was a small area of disturbed dirt about 6 feet from the main wreckage. Within the disturbed dirt, portions of the nose gear assembly and nose cone assembly were observed. The gyrocopter came to rest inverted on a heading of about 090 degrees magnetic approximately 6 feet from the FIPC. The rotor blades, empennage and engine remained partially attached to the main fuselage. No thermal damage was observed but the main structure and engine mounts sustained impact damage. Several separations were observed in the upper main structure. Examination of the gyrocopter airframe and flight control system components revealed no evidence of any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Examination of the engine revealed that remnants of the three-bladed constant speed propeller remained attached to the crankshaft flange. The propeller had impact damage and all three composite blades were separated about mid span. One propeller blade exhibited being split from it's delaminate and was bent about 90 degrees at mid span. The other blades were broke in numerous portions. The engine was rotated by hand through the propeller hub assembly. Rotational continuity was established throughout the engine and valve train. Compression and suction was obtained on all cylinders. The oil reservoir was intact and was about half full. The engine exhaust system had impact damage and remained attachedto all cylinders. The examination of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.