Cartercopter CARTERCOPTER N121CC
17 June 2005 · Olney, Texas, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 17 June 2005 at about 14:57 local time, a Cartercopter CARTERCOPTER registered N121CC was involved in an accident near Olney, Texas, United States. 2 people were 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.
The record
- Date
- at 14:57
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Olney, Texas, United States
- Nearest airport
- Olney Municiple Airport (KONY)
- Coordinates
- 33.3506, -98.7517
- Aircraft
- Cartercopter CARTERCOPTER
- Registration
- N121CC
- Category
- Gyrocraft
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Flight Test
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Olney → Olney
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DFW05CA163
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The pilot's inability to maintain control of the gyrocraft during a forced landing as a result of a loss of cyclic and collective control. Contributing factors were the sheared propeller drive pulley bolts, broken wire on the co-pilots cyclic boost control solenoid, failure of the ballistic parachute to deploy, and the lack of suitable terrain for forced landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
During a research and development flight, the gyrocraft was flying at an airspeed of 151 miles per hour when the 2,400-hour pilot heard a noise from the engine compartment. The pilot stated that the gyrocraft started to roll to the left despite control inputs. After an unsuccessful attempt to deploy the onboard ballistic parachute, the pilot initiated a forced landing. The pilot attempted to flare using the control stick only and "did not pull collective." Subsequently, the gyrocraft impacted trees before hitting the ground. An examination of the gyrocraft revealed that bolts holding the propeller drive pulley to the propeller drive shaft were "sheared" and a wire to the co-pilot cyclic boost control solenoid was separated.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Feb 2005 | Beechcraft BE77 | Angleton, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 May 2005 | Stearman D75 | Taylor, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 30 May 2005 | Beechcraft A36 | Arcola, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 Dec 2005 | Mooney M20J | San Antonio, Texas, United States | John Hermann | No injuries | - |
| 29 May 2005 | Cessna R182 | Roanoke, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Apr 2005 | Cessna 172N | Olney, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |