Pelt Mad Max II Special accident near Blacksburg, VA
On October 6, 2007, a Pelt Mad Max II Special (gyroplane) was involved in an accident near Blacksburg, VA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- October 6, 2007
- Place
- Blacksburg, VA
- Aircraft
- Pelt Mad Max II Special · Gyroplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 37.216°N, 80.391°W
- NTSB ID
- 20071019X01625
NTSB summary
On October 6, 2007, at 1307 eastern daylight time, an amateur-built Mad Max II Special gyroplane, N26VT, was substantially damaged when it impacted trees and terrain during a forced landing near Blacksburg, Virginia. The certificated private pilot/builder was seriously injured, and the passenger was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which originated at Virginia Tech Executive Airport (BCB), Blacksburg, Virginia. The personal flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. During a telephone interview, the pilot described some of the maintenance history of the gyroplane, and recounted the events of the accident flight. According to the pilot, he originally built the gyroplane in 2001, and at that time it was a single seat configuration. Between 2006 and 2007, he converted the gyroplane to a two seat configuration, and performed work on the engine, which included replacing "everything" with the exception of the carburetor and ignition coil. At the time of the conversion, the gyroplane had accumulated 175 total flight hours. Between the conclusion of the conversion and the accident flight, the pilot stated that he had completed the required test period, and flown the gyroplane for about 20 additional flight hours. About 10 of those 20 hours were flown with a person occupying the second seat. After takeoff on the accident flight, the pilot made a left turn about 400 feet above ground level, and in the airport traffic pattern. The engine was running normally for the first 1 to 2 minu
Probable cause
A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. Contributing to the accident was a lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
More accidents in VA
- Boeing 757-200, Sep 11, 2001
- Beech B99, Sep 23, 1985
- Beech 65, Sep 10, 1995
- Beech 200, Oct 24, 2004
- Piper PA-31-310, Nov 14, 1982
Browse: Virginia
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
