Rotordyne 200 accident near Kent, WA
On August 31, 1999, a Rotordyne 200 (gyroplane) was involved in an accident near Kent, WA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 31, 1999
- Place
- Kent, WA
- Aircraft
- Rotordyne 200 · Gyroplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 47.361°N, 122.100°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001212X19656
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 30, 1999, approximately 1902 Pacific daylight time, a homebuilt Rotordyne 200 gyrocopter, N85Z, co-registered to/being flown by a commercial pilot, was destroyed when it collided with terrain following a loss of control in flight while maneuvering near the Crest Airpark, Kent, Washington. The pilot was fatally injured and a post-crash fire destroyed a portion of the aircraft. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The maintenance check flight, which was reportedly for the purpose of balancing the rotor blades, was to have been operated under 14CFR91, and originated from the Crest Airpark shortly before the accident. A number of aeronautically experienced witnesses saw the accident sequence and their statements provided the following consistent observations: The gyrocopter departed runway 15 climbing to an altitude of approximately 300 feet above ground level (AGL) and maneuvered towards the west. The engine was developing power and the rotor blades were observed turning. The gyrocopter was then observed to execute a series of "pitch oscillations" as described by several witnesses, "oscillating" by another witness, and was reported by another witness to have "violently oscillated." Two other witnesses reported the maneuver as a "jump to the left fairley [sic] violently then back to the right" and it "rocked to the left then to the right." Most of the witnesses reported hearing a "popping" sound. All reported that the gyrocopter then pitched over and descended steeply to the ground (refer to attached statemen
Probable cause
The owner/builder's failure to properly torque the rotor blade retaining bolts.
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Browse: Washington
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
