The AutoGyro MTO Sport pilot reported that his electronic tablet he was using for navigation failed in flight. He decided to land in a field on a private ranch near Montgomery, Texas, and troubleshoot the electronic tablet. After troubleshooting the tablet, he departed from the field to the northwest.
During the takeoff toward an opening in the trees, he realized there was not adequate obstacle clearance. He turned to the south and the gyroplane hit trees. After hitting the trees, the gyroplane came to rest in a nose-down profile on the left side of the fuselage.
The pilot sustained serious injuries in the crash, while the passenger sustained minor injuries. Both were able to get out of the gyroplane’s wreckage. After the accident, hunters on the property transported the pilot and passenger to a highway where first responders were contacted.
The gyroplane sustained substantial damage to the main rotor system, the fuselage, and the empennage.
In the safety recommendation section of the NTSB Accident/Incident Reporting Form 6120.1, the pilot reported that the accident could have been prevented by “measuring the length of the field before taking off.”
The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe and engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from trees during departure. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadequate preflight assessment of the field for takeoff.
This October 2019 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.
Not familiar but wouldn’t think a gyro would get you to where you really didn’t know reasonably where you are.
Like lost in eastern Colorado….fly west till you see mountains, then turn north or south.
Distances are very deceiving when comparing runway to non-runway space to me. For example, when I start the takeoff roll at the beginning of the runway, I expect to have rotation speed pretty close to the fixed distance markers or 1,000 feet down the runway, and there’s thousands of feet of runway past that point. I live in a condo complex where the main road is in the shape of an oval. When we go out for a walk, the distance from the bottom to the top of the oval seems to be not too different than the length of the 3,600ft runway where I fly. Not even close. That distance is actually 1,000ft and there are trees on the north end. So estimating available off-runway distances just from a visual perspective for me would be totally impossible – have to physically measure it.
OK…this guy should not be piloting any aircraft .
– can’t fly without a gps showing him where he is, even after 45 minutes flying.
– the gps battery goes dead after 45 minutes…..maybe make sure that it’s fully charged
– the aircraft has a 12 volt port… use a charger to keep the battery charged while flying
– can’t navigate by pilotage or ded-reconing ….maybe us a paper chart
– plan a flight, so you know where you’ll be flying. [ ref paper chart ]
– don’t land in a field that you can’t take off from.
* ignored all of the above and crashed/ destroyed the gyro.