N499AG

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn September 27, 2022, about 1015 central daylight time, an Airgyro AG915 Spartan gyroplane, N499AG, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Yankton, South Dakota. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The gyroplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight test.

According to the pilot’s family members, the purpose of the local area flight was to build flight time and to obtain 40 flight hours on the experimental gyroplane. The gyroplane was based out of a hangar at the Chan Gurney Municipal Airport (YKN), Yankton, South Dakota. The gyroplane departed from runway 31 at YKN and traveled to the west for the flight.

One witness observed the gyroplane, about 400 ft above ground level (agl), with “heavy black smoke” emitting from the gyroplane. The gyroplane appeared to be flying to the west, but then made a “quick” turn toward the south; it went “straight down, nose first,” and impacted the ground. The witness did not see any fire emitting from the gyroplane while it was it was flying.

A second witness observed the gyroplane flying to the west, about 350 ft agl. He observed “a lot of black smoke” emitting from the gyroplane, but he did not see any fire emitting from the gyroplane while it was flying. The witness observed the gyroplane turn toward the south and the gyroplane then went “straight down, nose first” into the ground.

The gyroplane impacted a flat grass field on private property. The accident site was located about 2.3 nm northwest from the departure end of runway 31 at YKN. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONAccording to the pilot’s family, this was the pilot’s first time building an aircraft and he was self-taught about the gyroplane build process. The pilot did not report any mechanical concerns about the gyroplane to family members. A review of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records did not show the pilot held a mechanic or a repairman certificate, nor was he required to.

The pilot’s logbook was not available for review.

According to a pilot and mechanic who administered a builder’s assistance program for experimental aircraft, the pilot was at his facility for about 6 weeks in Paris, Texas, with the gyroplane. He classified the pilot as an “excellent craftsman” while building the gyroplane and stated that he performed “very good” work. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONAccording to FAA gyroplane airworthiness records and the gyroplane maintenance records, the pilot was the builder of the gyroplane.

Listed as a repairman, the pilot performed maintenance work on the gyroplane several days before the accident. The maintenance records showed that at the last two work entries, on September 24, 2022, the gyroplane had accumulated 37.8 flight hours. The first work entry consisted of the pilot replacing the engine oil drain plug and checking for oil leaks. The second work entry consisted of servicing the engine oil, replacing the engine oil filter, and checking for oil leaks. An examination of the gyroplane’s maintenance records revealed no evidence of any uncorrected mechanical discrepancies with the airframe or the engine.

The gyroplane weight and balance records were not available for review.

In the program letter to accompany the application for airworthiness to the FAA, the pilot had YKN listed as a geographical area for flight testing. The gyroplane flight manual was not available since the gyroplane had not completed the required 40 flight test hours.

The experimental engine installed in the gyroplane was partially configured for a constant speed propeller but required additional components, including a propeller governor. The Rotax Aircraft Engines factory installs a protective flange cover on the propeller governor pad, which is intended for delivery purposes only and must be removed before flight since it is not intended for operational use.

The governor flange cover, as listed in Rotax Aircraft Engines Service Instruction PAC-002 Governor Flanger Cover and Installation/Use of Governors for Rotax Aircraft Engines, serves as a protective cover during transportation with the 915iS3 version, but is not considered part of the engine type design. This document, published on December 27, 2019, discusses that before engine operation, the governor flange cover must be replaced with a functional governor, or the engine is to be converted to a 915iS2 version.

Rotax developed two versions of the Rotax 915 iS engine: the iS2 version, designed for usage without a governor, and the iS3 version, intended for usage with a governor. The iS3 version is delivered without a governor but includes a flange where a governor can be installed. During the end-of-line testing at the factory, an aluminum cover is mounted on the governor flange to protect the connection area from foreign object debris. The Rotax Aircraft Engines 915 Series Engine Installation Manual (61-00-00) states that this cover is not suitable for flight operations.

Converting an iS3 version to an iS2 version requires following instructions found in the Rotax Aircraft Engines 915 Series Maintenance Manual Heavy (72-10-00), that involves the replacement of the flange and other modifications. For the accident engine, it operated as an iS3 version without a governor and without the necessary conversions outlined in the Rotax Aircraft Engines 915 Series Maintenance Manual Heavy.

A review of the kit manual that the pilot used to build the gyroplane, created by MBL Classics – Gyroplane Department, revealed that it did not list any specific information about the governor flange cover needing to be removed and installing a funcional governor or converting the engine to a different version. However, the kit manual did reference the Rotax Aircraft Engines 915 Series Engine Installation Manual multiple times.

According to the pilot and mechanic who administered the builder’s assistance program that the gyroplane was involved with, he did not recall having any conversations or seeing any work done by the pilot regarding the governor flange cover or converting the engine to a different version. AIRPORT INFORMATIONAccording to FAA gyroplane airworthiness records and the gyroplane maintenance records, the pilot was the builder of the gyroplane.

Listed as a repairman, the pilot performed maintenance work on the gyroplane several days before the accident. The maintenance records showed that at the last two work entries, on September 24, 2022, the gyroplane had accumulated 37.8 flight hours. The first work entry consisted of the pilot replacing the engine oil drain plug and checking for oil leaks. The second work entry consisted of servicing the engine oil, replacing the engine oil filter, and checking for oil leaks. An examination of the gyroplane’s maintenance records revealed no evidence of any uncorrected mechanical discrepancies with the airframe or the engine.

The gyroplane weight and balance records were not available for review.

In the program letter to accompany the application for airworthiness to the FAA, the pilot had YKN listed as a geographical area for flight testing. The gyroplane flight manual was not available since the gyroplane had not completed the required 40 flight test hours.

The experimental engine installed in the gyroplane was partially configured for a constant speed propeller but required additional components, including a propeller governor. The Rotax Aircraft Engines factory installs a protective flange cover on the propeller governor pad, which is intended for delivery purposes only and must be removed before flight since it is not intended for operational use.

The governor flange cover, as listed in Rotax Aircraft Engines Service Instruction PAC-002 Governor Flanger Cover and Installation/Use of Governors for Rotax Aircraft Engines, serves as a protective cover during transportation with the 915iS3 version, but is not considered part of the engine type design. This document, published on December 27, 2019, discusses that before engine operation, the governor flange cover must be replaced with a functional governor, or the engine is to be converted to a 915iS2 version.

Rotax developed two versions of the Rotax 915 iS engine: the iS2 version, designed for usage without a governor, and the iS3 version, intended for usage with a governor. The iS3 version is delivered without a governor but includes a flange where a governor can be installed. During the end-of-line testing at the factory, an aluminum cover is mounted on the governor flange to protect the connection area from foreign object debris. The Rotax Aircraft Engines 915 Series Engine Installation Manual (61-00-00) states that this cover is not suitable for flight operations.

Converting an iS3 version to an iS2 version requires following instructions found in the Rotax Aircraft Engines 915 Series Maintenance Manual Heavy (72-10-00), that involves the replacement of the flange and other modifications. For the accident engine, it operated as an iS3 version without a governor and without the necessary conversions outlined in the Rotax Aircraft Engines 915 Series Maintenance Manual Heavy.

A review of the kit manual that the pilot used to build the gyroplane, created by MBL Classics – Gyroplane Department, revealed that it did not list any specific information about the governor flange cover needing to be removed and installing a funcional governor or converting the engine to a different version. However, the kit manual did reference the Rotax Aircraft Engines 915 Series Engine Installation Manual multiple times.

According to the pilot and mechanic who administered the builder’s assistance program that the gyroplane was involved with, he did not recall having any conversations or seeing any work done by the pilot regarding the governor flange cover or converting the engine to a different version. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONA postimpact fire consumed the composite airframe. Due to thermal damage, flight control continuity and airframe to engine con...