N975JP – Pearson Superfly – 2006-08-06 NTSB Accident Report

On August 06, 2006, a Pearson Superfly (N975JP) was involved in an incident near Denton, TX. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The loss of control as result of the pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing area. A contributing factor was the muddy terrain.

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.

This incident is documented in NTSB report DFW06CA196. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N975JP.