Sego Tool HAWK H2X N4412X

Summary

On 15 October 1997 at about 20:16 local time, a Sego Tool HAWK H2X registered N4412X, operated by Groen Brothers Aviation Inc., was involved in an accident near Tooele, Utah, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 October 1997 at 20:16

Classification

Accident

Location

Tooele, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Tooele South Army Depot (T62)

Coordinates

40.5695, -112.3301

Aircraft

Sego Tool HAWK H2X

Registration

N4412X

Category

Gyrocraft

Engines

1

Operator

Groen Brothers Aviation Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW98LA015

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. Contributing was the inadequate design of the flight control systems, resulting in slow response to pilot input.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, he was taking off for one of a series of flight tests. He reported that shortly after liftoff, the gyroplane made an uncommanded roll to the right. The pilot said that he applied full left cyclic and full left rudder, but the main rotor system struck the ground. The main rotor blades separated from the gyroplane and the aircraft came to rest with the fuselage twisted. Postcrash examination of the gyroplane by the design/manufacturing team revealed that the control system design of this aircraft had an inherent lag in time between control input and aircraft response. They found the runway that the gyroplane was taking off from slopped 1.7 to 1.8 degrees to the left. They said that 'the moment the aircraft left the ground, gravity moved the fuselage to the left and the rotor disk to the right.' Subsequently, a right turn was initiated and ground contact was made by the main rotor disk before the pilot's correction inputs could take effect.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.