Dayton A Dabbs MAGNI M-16 N317KD

Summary

On 13 January 2018 at about 18:00 local time, a Dayton A Dabbs MAGNI M-16 registered N317KD was involved in an accident near Point Venture, Texas, 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

13 January 2018 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Point Venture, Texas, United States

Coordinates

30.3800, -98.0111

Aircraft

Dayton A Dabbs MAGNI M-16

Registration

N317KD

Category

Gyrocraft

Year built

2016

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Taylor → Taylor

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18LA079

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because a postaccident engine test run showed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation, and the pilot's decision to conduct the flight at a low altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that, during a flight in an experimental gyroplane, he decreased altitude by reducing power to fly over the shoreline of a lake. When the gyroplane was at an altitude of 50 ft above ground level, the pilot applied power to gain altitude, but the engine did not respond. The pilot stated that the gyroplane entered a stall and impacted the ground. The pilot noted that that he did not have time to regain airspeed due to the low altitude. The pilot also noted that he should have been operating at a higher altitude, which would have allowed him to land safely by maintaining airspeed with the nose of the gyroplane down. A postaccident engine test run was performed, and the engine started and ran without any issues detected. The collected data from the gyroplane's engine monitor showed that, for the accident flight, the engine rpm dropped from about 5,000 to 1,000 rpm before the end of the data. Besides rpm, the collected data contained only the following parameters: exhaust gas temperatures for each cylinder, water temperature, oil temperature, and atmospheric pressure. The temperature and dew point recorded at a nearby airport were not in the range of susceptibility for carburetor icing. Due to the lack of additional engine monitor data and the successful postaccident engine test run, the reason(s) for the total loss of engine power could not be determined. In addition, the pilot's decision to conduct the flight at a low altitude precluded remedial action after the total loss of engine power and the subsequent stall.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.