Pilot Debrief

PAVEL Tango2 near Cedartown, GA — 2019-11-04

Final reportERA20FA029
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Date
2019-11-04
Location
Cedartown, GA, USA
Airport
4A4
Aircraft
PAVEL Tango2
Registration
N875FV
Category
Gyroplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1

Probable cause

The pilot's loss of control of the gyroplane for reasons that could not be determined based on available evidence.

NTSB narrative

The pilot was performing a test flight to mitigate a vibration in the gyroplane. When the pilot did not return within the expected timeframe a friend alerted authorities and went to look for him. The wreckage was located about 2.5 miles from the departure airport in a cotton field where it came to rest inverted about 15 ft beyond the initial impact point. Examination of the wreckage revealed that there were no anomalies with the gyroplane that would have precluded normal operation prior to the accident. Toxicology testing identified sertraline and its metabolite desmethylsertraline, atorvastatin, and metoprolol in blood and urine. The pilot’s medications were unlikely to have resulted in impairment and therefore most likely did not contribute to the accident The pilot’s autopsy revealed severe coronary artery disease with a previous stent and severe ongoing stenosis in the left anterior descending coronary artery. While there was no obvious scar, no microscopic evaluation of the heart muscle was performed, so whether there was evidence of previous or ongoing ischemia could not be determined. However, the severity of his coronary artery disease placed him at increased risk of an acute cardiac event that could have resulted in sudden chest pain, shortness of breath, palpitations, or fainting, any of which could have been acutely impairing or incapacitating. But in this case, there is no available operational information; therefore, whether effects from the pilot’s coronary artery disease contributed to this accident could not be determined.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have chosen not to conduct the test flight with known health issues.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 8 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents8

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