Kevin Leue Sparrow Hawk accident near Hernando, MS
On December 2, 2017, a Kevin Leue Sparrow Hawk (gyroplane) was involved in an accident near Hernando, MS. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 2, 2017
- Place
- Hernando, MS
- Aircraft
- Kevin Leue Sparrow Hawk · Gyroplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.797°N, 89.921°W
- NTSB ID
- 20171202X04340
Official records · ERA18LA039
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn December 2, 2017, about 1700 central standard time, an experimental, amateur-built Sparrow Hawk gyroplane, N481ZK, was destroyed when it impacted terrain and was consumed by a postcrash fire near Eagles Ridge Airport (MS9), Hernando, Mississippi. The sport pilot and pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The gyroplane was owned by the pilot who was operating it as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed for the flight, which departed MS9 at an unknown time. There were no known witnesses to the departure or the accident. An individual who was hunting near the accident site reported that, about 1700, he heard a loud sound similar to a gunshot, but dismissed it as another hunter. He left the area about dusk and spotted a grass fire. He walked to a nearby home to tell the homeowner to call 911 and report the fire. First responders who arrived to extinguish the fire subsequently located the wreckage of the gyroplane. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot, age 70, held a sport pilot certificate with gyroplane rating, issued June 29, 2017. On the application for that certificate, he reported 102 hours total flight experience. The pilot-rated passenger, age 43, held an airline transport pilot certificate with a rating for airplane multi-engine land and held commercial privileges for airplane single-engine land. He held type ratings for several transport-category airplanes. His most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) first class med
Probable cause
Impact with trees and terrain for reasons that could not be determined based on available evidence.
More accidents in MS
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Browse: Mississippi
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
