According to the pilot of the experimental amateur-built gyroplane, during a solo cross-country flight, he became lost and decided to follow a nearby highway.
Unfamiliar with the area, he exhausted the gyroplane’s fuel supply and landed on a highway near Spanish Fork, Utah.
The gyroplane’s nosewheel hit a passing car, but the gyroplane was able to touch down and stop on the right shoulder of the highway.
A passing semi-truck also struck the rotor blades of the gyroplane.
The gyroplane sustained substantial damage to the rotor system.
The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the gyroplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain situational and geographic awareness during the flight, which resulted in him becoming lost and exhausting the gyroplane’s fuel.
NTSB Identification: GAA18CA073
This December 2017 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
I do not know the area in which this landing was made,however, unless there are buildings or trees all around, an open field is often safer. The road not only has the vehicle traffic to contend with but often wires are along or crossing roads. A field adjacent to said road would be less likely to have wires, excepting major high-lines, as they tend to follow roadways. Power lines are very hard to see as the poles,or shadows from them,are often the only thing you can see.