Shirley Carl SPORTCOPTER VORTEX accident near Viroqua, WI
On August 19, 2019, a Shirley Carl SPORTCOPTER VORTEX (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Viroqua, WI. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 19, 2019
- Place
- Viroqua, WI
- Aircraft
- Shirley Carl SPORTCOPTER VORTEX · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 43.583°N, 90.914°W
- NTSB ID
- 20190819X10929
Official records · CEN19FA276
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 19, 2019, about 1834 central daylight time, an experimental light sport Sport Copter Vortex gyrocopter, N634SC, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident in Viroqua, Wisconsin. The noncertificated pilot was fatally injured. The aircraft was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The flight departed Viroqua Municipal Airport (Y51), Viroqua, Wisconsin, about 1830. According to a family member of the pilot, the purpose of the flight was to practice taxi operations at the airport and become familiar with the handling characteristics of the aircraft . A witness near the airport stated that she saw the aircraft become airborne but that it then turned and descended rapidly. A second witness near the airport stated that he heard the engine running and that it “sounded healthy” but then it quit suddenly, with no sputtering. A third witness heard the impact and saw smoke rising from the field. First responders found the gyrocopter fully engulfed in fire. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot was issued a student pilot certificate on July 28, 2009, which would have expired July 31, 2014. The pilot’s most recent third-class Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) medical certificate was issued February 1, 1999, with a limitation that the pilot must wear corrective lenses. The medical certificate was not valid for any class after February 28, 2001. No record was located of the pilot applying for BasicMed. A review of the pilot's personal logbooks revealed that he first logged flight hours (1.5 hours) in a gyrocopter on Octob
Probable cause
The noncertificated pilot's loss of control of the gyrocopter after a total loss of engine power due to seizure of the crankshaft bearings. Contributing to the accident were the insufficient maintenance of the engine and the pilot's lack of gyrocopter flight experience.
More accidents in WI
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Browse: Wisconsin
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
