Gillespie Sport Copter Vortex accident near Yuba City, CA
On February 21, 2004, a Gillespie Sport Copter Vortex (gyroplane) was involved in an accident near Yuba City, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- February 21, 2004
- Place
- Yuba City, CA
- Aircraft
- Gillespie Sport Copter Vortex · Gyroplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 39.124°N, 121.605°W
- NTSB ID
- 20040223X00221
NTSB summary
On February 21, 2004, at 1355 Pacific standard time, an experimental Gillespie Sport Copter Vortex gyrocopter, N96XV, impacted a dry riverbed following a loss of engine power, approximately 1 mile southeast of the Sutter County Airport, Yuba City, California. The pilot/builder was operating the gyrocopter under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The gyrocopter sustained substantial damage; the private pilot sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The gyrocopter departed the Sutter County Airport at an unknown time for the local, personal flight. A witness to the accident reported that he was standing in his yard. He saw the gyrocopter fly overhead at 50 feet, with the engine sputtering. It then entered a steep descent and impacted a dry riverbed about 45 yards away. At the wreckage site, approximately 1/2 tank of fuel was present; there was no fire. The National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC) reviewed excerpts of the pilot's logbook. The entries indicated that the pilot was signed off to solo on January 25, 2004. On February 8, the logbook entry stated, "First gyro solo! Test flight of vortex. 3 pattern loops." The pilot had accumulated approximately 11 hours of gyrocopter flight time prior to the accident flight. Inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration examined the gyrocopter on February 24, 2004. The blades of the pusher propeller, made of carbon fiber and foam filled, were displaced from the gyrocopter and displayed cracks on the surfaces . The main rotor was bent downwa
Probable cause
a loss of engine power due to the incorrect installation of the fuel line, which resulted in fuel starvation, and the pilot's failure to maintain rotor RPM, which resulted in an inflight loss of control. A factor to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience flying gyrocopters.
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Browse: California
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
