N975JP

The 500-hour private pilot, who reported having accumulated a total of 300-hours in make and model, was landing the single-seat homebuilt gyrocraft at the edge of a dried-up lakebed. The pilot stated that we made a power-on landing to keep the weight off the landing gear. Upon touchdown, the gear broke through the thin crust and was "mired in 15 inches deep mud." The tricycle gear equipped gyrocopter tipped to the right and yawed to the left as the main rotor impacted the ground and the rotor mast was sheared at the engine mount. The Rotax powered gyrocraft came to rest on its right side and the pilot was able to egress the aircraft unassisted. The pilot reported that there were no problems with the gyro's flight controls or engine prior to the mishap. The pilot reported that the winds were calm at the time of the accident.