Tag TITANIUM EXPLORER N665TE

Summary

On 13 July 2026 at about 14:00 local time, a Tag TITANIUM EXPLORER registered N665TE was involved in an accident near Larkspur, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

13 July 2026 at 14:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Larkspur, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Perry Park (CO93)

Coordinates

39.2286, -104.8872

Aircraft

Tag TITANIUM EXPLORER

Registration

N665TE

Category

Gyrocraft

Year built

2025

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Buena Vista → Peyton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN26LA254

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On July 13, 2026, about 800 mountain daylight time, a Tag Aviation Pty Ltd Titanium Explorer gyrocopter, N665TE was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Larkspur, Colorado. The pilot passed away in the hospital five days after the accident. The gyrocopter was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. According to a friend of the pilot, the pilot flew the gyrocopter from Meadowlake Airport (FLY) Peyton, Colorado, to Central Colorado Airport (AEJ) Buena Vista, Colorado, 4 days before the accident. The pilot and his friend flew their respective gyrocopters around the Buena Vista area several times during that four-day period. The friend said that the gyrocopter was performing normally. On the morning of July 13th, the pilot filled the fuel tank with 91 Octane motor gas before he departed back toward FLY. The friend said that the pilot planned to circumnavigate Davis Airfield (AFF) Colorado Springs, Colorado, to the north and then fly back toward the east toward Peyton, Colorado. The pilot departed AEJ about 700. While enroute, he called another friend on his cellular phone to let him know that he was flying over Lake George in Park County, Colorado. He told the friend that everything was fine and he would call him again when he landed safely at FLY. About 800, a witness walking her dog outside her home said that she heard the gyrocopter fly overhead. She said the gyrocopter was low and the engine was “struggling.” Then, the engine stopped and the gyrocopter fell through the trees. She reported that the pilot was conscious but not speaking and that fuel was dripping out of the fuel tank. The gyrocopter was relatively intact and came to rest on its right side under a group of trees. The rotor blades were bent and cracked. One of the rotor blade tips was sheared off. The three-bladed propeller was still attached at the hub, and the blades were flat and smooth. The needle on the Aviasport gyro rotor tachometer was fully in the red zone at 500 rpm. According to the engine and airframe logbooks, N665TE would have been due for an annual condition inspection in September 2026. At the time of the accident, the airframe had accumulated about 50 hours, and the engine had accumulated about 400 hours. The gyrocopter was retained for further examination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.