Pilot Debrief

AIR COMMAND 582 near Monongahela, PA — 2014-10-01

Final reportERA15LA001
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Date
2014-10-01
Location
Monongahela, PA, USA
Airport
FWQ
Aircraft
AIR COMMAND 582
Registration
UNREG
Category
Gyroplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1

Probable cause

The amateur-built gyroplane’s collision with terrain for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to conduct the flight without obtaining additional training.

Contributing factors

Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to conduct the flight without obtaining additional training.

NTSB narrative

A witness saw the unregistered, amateur-built gyroplane flying in the airport traffic pattern. When the gyroplane pilot could not be located by friends later that day, a search was initiated, and the wreckage was subsequently located in an area of vegetation about 750 ft from the runway. Examination of the airframe revealed no evidence of any obvious mechanical deficiencies that would have precluded normal operation, and during a postaccident test run, the engine ran with no anomalies noted. Although the pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating, he did not hold a rotorcraft-gyroplane rating. About 2 months before the accident, he sought flight training from a gyroplane flight instructor, and after that 1-day training session, he received an endorsement to conduct solo gyroplane operations on and just above the ground. The endorsement did not allow the pilot to fly in and around the airport traffic pattern solo. In the 2 months leading up to the accident flight, the pilot's logbook documented several flights consistent with adhering to the endorsement's limitations; however, beginning about 1 week before the flight, the entries showed that the pilot likely conducted flight maneuvers inconsistent with the endorsement's limitations. Although the specific circumstances about the accident could not be determined, the pilot's inexperience and failure to obtain additional training to get his authorization for additional flight operations in the accident aircraft type likely contributed to the outcome.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
Pilot should not have flown solo without proper training and aircraft registration.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents9

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