Degraw DeBird accident near Napoleon, MI
On August 4, 2024, a Degraw DeBird (gyroplane) was involved in an accident near Napoleon, MI. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- August 4, 2024
- Place
- Napoleon, MI
- Aircraft
- Degraw DeBird · Gyroplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 42.183°N, 84.278°W
- NTSB ID
- 20240804194834
Official records · CEN24FA298
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 3, 2024, about 2058 central daylight time, a De Bird gyroplane, N140DG, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Napoleon, Michigan. The pilot was fatally injured. The gyroplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The husband of the pilot reported that his wife was conducting an evening pleasure flight in the gyroplane. He said that the weather conditions at the time of the accident were good. He was about ¼ mile away from their private airstrip and he could hear the gyroplane as it advanced down the runway, took off, and began its climb. He said that he did not hear anything unusual until he heard two loud thumps. He noted that during a normal takeoff the gyroplane would be about 150 ft above ground level (agl) when it reached the departure end of the runway. After hearing the thump noises, he boarded and took off in another gyroplane that he owned to search for the accident gyroplane, but could not locate it. When asked if he heard any unusual engine sounds, he said that he could not be sure as the gyroplane was farther away from his location after starting the takeoff. The accident gyroplane was later located in wooded terrain about 200 ft left of the runway centerline and about 250 ft short of the departure end of runway. No flight track data for the gyroplane was available from either ground- or aircraft-based systems. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot’s logbook was not available for review; however, the pilot reported having 2,100 hours of total flight experience at her last
Probable cause
Separation of the gyroplane’s tail due to main rotor blade contact for reasons that could not be determined.
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Browse: Michigan
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
