John Thomas CLOUD DANCER 2 N6314T

Summary

On 26 May 2000 at about 15:15 local time, a John Thomas CLOUD DANCER 2 registered N6314T was involved in an accident near Franklin, North Carolina, 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

26 May 2000 at 15:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Franklin, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

MacOn County Airport (1A5)

Coordinates

35.1870, -83.3884

Aircraft

John Thomas CLOUD DANCER 2

Registration

N6314T

Category

Gyrocraft

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL00LA057

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the gyroplane during takeoff roll, resulting in a roll over.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was practicing landings on runway 7. After touching down during his first practice touch and go landing, he applied full power for takeoff and the gyroplane began to 'shimmy.' The gyroplane yawed to the left and departed the runway into the grass, then rolled over onto its left side. According to an engineering representative with the gyroplane's kit manufacturer, while performing a run-on landing, the gyroplane is unstable while on the main wheels due to the inertia of the rotor system. To maintain stability, the gyroplane should not have any forward momentum during landing and the nose wheel should be straightened out prior to touching down. According to a witness, the nose wheel was not straight when the gyroplane touched down.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.