AUTOGYRO GMBH CALIDUS

Crozet, VA — February 4, 2015

Event Information

DateFebruary 4, 2015
Event TypeACC
NTSB NumberERA15CA121
Event ID20150205X21520
LocationCrozet, VA
CountryUSA
Coordinates38.06944, -78.70055
AirportPolo Field
Highest InjuryNONE

Aircraft

MakeAUTOGYRO GMBH
ModelCALIDUS
CategoryGYRO
FAR Part091
Aircraft DamageSUBS

Conditions

Light ConditionDAYL
WeatherVMC

Injuries

Fatal0
Serious0
Minor0
None1
Total Injured0

Event Location

Probable Cause

The pilot's improper control inputs which resulted in a loss of control and rollover during the takeoff roll.

Full Narrative

After departing from the airport where the pilot kept the gyroplane, he flew to his family farm and landed without incident on a 1,500-foot-long grass polo field. Later on, during an attempted takeoff from the same field, when the gyroplane was traveling at 25 to 30 knots and was about 150 feet into the takeoff roll, the gyroplane rose to a balanced position on its main wheels, but then began to bounce up and down violently. The pilot then lost control of the gyroplane and it rolled over on its' left side about 300 feet into the takeoff roll. The pilot advised that there was nothing mechanically wrong with the gyroplane. He further advised that it was "pilot error" and that he had "over advanced" the blades by pushing the control stick too far forward and that the blades were not yet at speed (too low a rotor rpm) when he did it. The pilot was not injured, but the gyroplane incurred damage to the rotor blades, the pusher propeller, the horizontal stabilizer, the vertical stabilizer, the rudder, the engine cowling, and the wheel pants.

About This NTSB Record

This aviation event was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). NTSB investigates all U.S. civil aviation accidents to determine probable cause and issue safety recommendations to prevent future accidents.

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