Bensen B-8M UNREG
22 May 1983 · Herington, Kansas, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 22 May 1983 at about 23:10 local time, a Bensen B-8M registered UNREG, operated by Robert L. Smith, was involved in an accident near Herington, Kansas, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 23:10
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Herington, Kansas, United States
- Nearest airport
- Herington Muni (7K1)
- Coordinates
- 38.6702, -96.9405
- Aircraft
- Bensen B-8M
- Registration
- UNREG
- Category
- Unknown
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Robert L. Smith
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- MKC83FA113
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE BUILDER/PLT PURCHASED THE BASIC AIRFRAME & ROTOR KIT FROM BENSEN, BUT PURCHASED THE ENG FROM ANOTHER SOURCE. THE ENG WAS NOT MODIFIED IAW BENSEN INSTRUCTIONS. REPORTEDLY, THE PLT WAS ONLY GOING TO CONDUCT TAXI & GROUND RUNS WHEN HE STARTED AT APRX 1100 CDT. HOWEVER, AFTER A NUMBER OF TAXI & HI SPEED RUNS, THE GYROCOPTER WAS OBSERVED TO TAKEOFF AT APRX 1800 CDT. AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PLT TURNED TO A DOWNWIND, THEN A BASE LEG. A WITNESS REPORTED SEEING SOMETHING FALL FROM THE ACFT BEFORE IT DESCENDED FROM HIS VIEW. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED APRX 1500 FT FROM THE APCH END OF THE RWY IN A 50 TO 55 DEG BANK. A 6 GAL FUEL CAN WAS FOUND APRX 90 FT FROM THE ACFT. THE CAN HAD BEEN ATTACHED WITH 2 ELASTIC SHOCK CORDS, WHICH WAS NOT IAW BENSEN INSTRUCTIONS. PAINT & SCRAPE MARKS ON THE ROTOR BLADES & THE FUEL CAN MATCHED ONE ANOTHER. THE PLT WAS NOT CERTIFICATED & NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND THAT HE HAD PREVIOUS FLT EXPERIENCE. THE WORD 'ULTRALIGHT' WAS FOUND PAINTED ON THE MAST OF THE GYROCOPTER.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bensen B-8M accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Jun 1983 | Bensen B-8M | Wendover, Utah, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 11 Jun 1982 | Bensen B-8M | Parsons, Tennessee, United States | Johnnie R. FOX | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jun 1982 | Bensen B-8M | Kennewick, Washington, United States | Andrew L. Slinkard | No injuries | - |
| 12 Sep 1981 | Bensen B-8M | Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Dec 1981 | Bensen B-8M | Sandin, Puerto Rico, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 31 Jul 1981 | Bensen B-8M | Columbia, Missouri, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Oct 1983 | Cessna P210N | Lawrence, Kansas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 31 Mar 1983 | Cassutt III M SPORT | Hiawatha, Kansas, United States | John A. Rolfsmeyer | No injuries | - |
| 9 Apr 1983 | Cessna 172 I | Paola, Kansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Oct 1983 | Cessna 152 | Augusta, Kansas, United States | Goldwing Aviation, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 15 Apr 1983 | Breezy 01 | Kechi, Kansas, United States | Steve L. Phinney | Fatal | 1 |
| 29 Oct 1983 | Cessna 150F | Garnett, Kansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |