N640BE

On June 11, 2018, at 0715 mountain daylight time, an Aston Kinsey Tercel gyrocopter, N640BE, impacted terrain during landing at a private airstrip near Cokeville, Wyoming. The sport pilot and passenger were not injured, and the gyrocopter sustained substantial damage. The gyrocopter was registered and operated by a private individual as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of accident, and a flight plan had not been filed. The local flight departed the private airstrip at 0700.

According to the pilot, while performing maneuvers south of the private airstrip, he felt no response when he applied left cyclic, and the gyrocopter "was stuck in a moderate right turn." The pilot initiated an emergency descent back to the private airstrip. During the approach, the pilot was unable to regain control of the gyrocopter, and it impacted terrain while sliding to the right. The gyrocopter rolled over to the right and came to rest on its right side.

Post accident examination of the gyrocopter by Federal Aviation Administration inspectors revealed the gyrocopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor blades, fuselage structure, vertical stabilizers, and horizontal stabilizer. A cyclic push/pull tube was fractured consistent with damage sustained during the impact; no additional anomalies were noted with the flight control systems. The examination revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.