Green GTX-SE-FI N2411V

Summary

On 30 April 2000 at about 14:25 local time, a Green GTX-SE-FI registered N2411V was involved in an accident near Gillette, Wyoming, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 April 2000 at 14:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Gillette, Wyoming, United States

Coordinates

44.4601, -105.6997

Aircraft

Green GTX-SE-FI

Registration

N2411V

Category

Gyrocraft

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gillette → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN00LA079

1 person died.

The pilot's abruptly pulling the nose up at an excessive airspeed, resulting in the rotor blades striking the vertical stabilizer and a subsequent loss of aircraft control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Witnesses said the experimental amateur-built gyrocopter (or gyroplane) was flying low and the engine sounded like it was 'racing,' or 'sputtering,' then 'the rotors come apart in the air.' There was no evidence of the rotor blades separating in flight, but there was evidence that the blades had struck the vertical stabilizer and rudder, severing the tail boom. Two blades of the 4-blade propeller were shattered. The pilot's close friend (who assisted the pilot in building the gyrocopter) said if the pilot was flying at high speed and was to suddenly increase the angle of attack and abruptly move the cyclic control aft, the main rotor blades could conceivably strike the tail boom. The accident site was near abruptly rising terrain. On a previous occasion, the pilot accelerated to a high ground speed before increasing the angle of attack for liftoff. The rotor blades struck the runway and were damaged to the extent that they had to be replaced.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.