Bensen Aircraft Corp. Gyroplane accident near Watertown, NY
On April 27, 2001, a Bensen Aircraft Corp. Gyroplane (gyroplane) was involved in an accident near Watertown, NY. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- April 27, 2001
- Place
- Watertown, NY
- Aircraft
- Bensen Aircraft Corp. Gyroplane · Gyroplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 43.969°N, 75.910°W
- NTSB ID
- 20010502X00856
NTSB summary
On April 27, 2001, about 1130 eastern daylight time, a homebuilt Bensen Gyroplane, N8184, was substantially damaged while maneuvering over an open field near Watertown, New York. The certificated private pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal local flight. No flight plan was filed, and the flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the owner, the day before the accident, he inspected the gyroplane for approximately 3 hours, and ran the engine for approximately 2 hours in preparation of flying the gyroplane. To facilitate transporting the gyroplane to the planned practice area, the owner detached the blades by removing the blade-retaining bolts. The next day, the owner and the pilot transported the gyroplane to the practice area, and reinstalled the blades. The pilot preflighted the gyroplane, and then started the engine. He let the engine idle for approximately 15 minutes, and then taxied to an open field to conduct some taxi work. The pilot taxied for an hour to get the feel of the gyroplane, and to insure there were no hidden obstacles in the grass. Once comfortable with the taxi characteristics, the pilot did about 20 short flights. The flights were straight ahead and approximately 2 feet in altitude. The pilot then reported to the owner that he was happy with the gyroplane's performance, and was going to attempt some longer flights. On the first flight, the gyroplane reached an altitude of about 4 feet, and traveled approximately 100 yards straight ahead. The gyroplane touched down, made a left turn and taxied
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. A factor in the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in rotary wing aircraft.
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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
