NTSB Releases Preliminary Findings About Foley's Fatal Gyro Crash

Fatal crash took place on December 9th at the Foley Airport

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a preliminary report on a December 9 gyroplane crash at the Foley Municipal Airport.

The Magni Builder M-16 trainer was destroyed and the pilot killed during takeoff at 1:32 p.m.

The report states that the gyroplane “wiggled” after liftoff and an operator on the ground attempted to radio the pilot. The radio was unavailable but the pilot appeared to stabilize the aircraft. However, the nose of the gyroplane suddenly pitched and became “oriented 90° to the direction of flight.” The rotor failed, the gyroplane turned, rolled, hit the runway and caught fire.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration’s Rotorcraft Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083- 21), “If rotor force is rapidly removed, some gyroplanes have a tendency to pitch forward abruptly. This is often referred to as a forward tumble, buntover, or power pushover. Removing the rotor force is often referred to as unloading the rotor, and can occur if pilot induced oscillations become excessive, if extremely turbulent conditions are encountered, or the nose of the gyroplane is pushed forward rapidly after a steep climb.”

The report stated two people at the airport observed the crash and relayed information to investigators.

The 67-year-old pilot died on impact. He received his sport pilot certificate and endorsement for gyroplanes on August 8. He had an estimated 61 hours of flight experience.