Magni M24 N90HM

Summary

On 16 October 2023 at about 16:30 local time, a Magni M24 registered N90HM was involved in an accident near Mount Sterling, Illinois, 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

16 October 2023 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Mount Sterling, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Mount Sterling Municpal (I63)

Coordinates

39.9863, -90.8040

Aircraft

Magni M24

Registration

N90HM

Category

Gyrocraft

Year built

2020

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

CEN24LA013

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain gyroplane control on the downwind leg, which resulted in impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s distraction.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, while on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, he was distracted while looking for other traffic in the pattern when he noticed that his airspeed had decayed to 37 mph, below the aircraft flight manual’s recommended traffic pattern airspeed of 65 mph. The pilot attempted to correct by increasing engine throttle but subsequently lost control. The gyroplane impacted terrain while in the left downwind leg, which resulted in substantial damage to the main rotor system and empennage. Postaccident examination of the gyroplane revealed no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Based on the available information, the pilot likely unloaded the rotor blades inadvertently, known as buntover, when he applied engine throttle to correct for the decaying airspeed. The sudden throttle application caused the gyroplane to abruptly pitch forward and tumble. The FAA Rotorcraft Flying Handbook notes that, in most cases, the proper recovery procedure for the condition is to immediately remove power and load the rotor blades.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.