Summary
On October 05, 2019, a Pavel Vagner TANGO (N8445P) was involved in an incident near Dublin, 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 pilot's improper landing flare and failure to maintain lateral control, which resulted in a hard landing, loss of directional control, and subsequent roll-over.
The gyroplane pilot reported that during landing, the gyroplane was too high above the runway. He attempted to, "cushion the landing" by forcing the nose up as he, "gunned the engine a couple of times." The fluctuations in torque turned the nose of the gyroplane to the right, and he corrected with a hard-left rudder application. He recalled that the additional thrust from the engine gunning, increased the gyroplanes airspeed.
The gyroplane was configured with the front wheel being mechanically linked to the rudder for directional control. When the gyroplane touched down, the pilot's hard left rudder application was also a hard-left turn input. The gyrocopter landed hard and rolled on to its side.
This incident is documented in NTSB report GAA20CA005. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N8445P.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's improper landing flare and failure to maintain lateral control, which resulted in a hard landing, loss of directional control, and subsequent roll-over.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
The gyroplane pilot reported that during landing, the gyroplane was too high above the runway. He attempted to, "cushion the landing" by forcing the nose up as he, "gunned the engine a couple of times." The fluctuations in torque turned the nose of the gyroplane to the right, and he corrected with a hard-left rudder application. He recalled that the additional thrust from the engine gunning, increased the gyroplanes airspeed.
The gyroplane was configured with the front wheel being mechanically linked to the rudder for directional control. When the gyroplane touched down, the pilot's hard left rudder application was also a hard-left turn input. The gyrocopter landed hard and rolled on to its side. The pilot reported that this accident was caused by pilot error.
The nearest METAR was 12 NM to the northeast and reported that about the time of the accident the wind was from 170° at 4 knots. The pilot landed on runway 33 and would have produced a left quartering tailwind during the landing.
The gyroplane sustained substantial damage to the main rotor drive system and the empennage.
The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the gyroplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# GAA20CA005