Titanium Auto Gyro TITANIUM EXPLORER N467TE

Summary

On 4 September 2023 at about 01:45 local time, a Titanium Auto Gyro TITANIUM EXPLORER registered N467TE was involved in an accident near Falcon, Colorado, United States. 3 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 September 2023 at 01:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Falcon, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Meadow Lake (KFLY)

Coordinates

38.9368, -104.5667

Aircraft

Titanium Auto Gyro TITANIUM EXPLORER

Registration

N467TE

Category

Gyrocraft

Year built

2017

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

Dusk

NTSB number

CEN23LA397

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s failure to establish a proper airspeed before becoming airborne, which resulted in an inability to climb out of ground effect and subsequent hard landing. Contributing to the accident was high-density altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during takeoff, the gyroplane became airborne after reaching 55 kts and was unable to climb out of ground effect. The pilot reported that he attempted a 180° turn to conduct a forced landing on the runway; however, the gyroplane descended rapidly during the turn and landed hard on the turf in the runway safety area. The gyroplane sustained substantial damage to the rotor and airframe. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the gyroplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot stated further that he should have delayed rotation until 60 to 65 kts to achieve the proper climb. Density altitude at the time of the accident was about 9,350 ft, which would have further decreased climb performance.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.