Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Sandwich, Illinois 60548
Tuesady, August 9, 1994 13:45 CDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
SEVERAL WITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT REPORTED THAT THE GYROPLANE APPEARED UNSTABLE AS IT CLIMBED TO A MAXIMUM ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET. TWO WITNESSES DESCRIBED THE GYROPLANE 'TIPPING' AND 'DIPPING' SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF. THEY SAID THE ENGINE SOUNDED AS THOUGH IT WAS RUNNING AT FULL POWER IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE GYROPLANE PITCHED DOWN IN A MANNER DESCRIBED BY ONE WITNESS AS A 'SOMERSAULT' AND IMPACTED THE TERRAIN IN AN INVERTED, NEAR VERTICAL, NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. AN UNTESTED/CUSTOM ROTOR HEAD WAS REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN INSTALLED ON THE GYROPLANE. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT'S WIFE, HE HAD MODIFIED THE GYROPLANE AFTER HAVING A PREVIOUS ACCIDENT; SHE DID NOT BELIEVE THE GYROPLANE HAD BEEN SUCCESSFULLY FLOWN SINCE IT WAS MODIFIED. TWO PERSONS, WHO WERE FAMILIAR WITH THE GYROPLANE, INDICATED THAT THE MODIFICATION WOULD HAVE AFFECTED CONTROLLABILITY OF THE AIRCRAFT. NO RECORD WAS FOUND THAT THE PILOT HAD EVER BEEN ISSUED A PILOT CERTIFICATE. TOXICOLOGY TESTS REVEALED TRACES OF METABOLITES OF COCAINE, SUGGESTING USE IN THE PAST THAT HAD BECOME METABOLIZED BEFORE FLIGHT.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT (OWNER/PILOT/MECHANIC), AND HIS IMPROPER MODIFICATION OF THE FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM, WHICH RESULTED IN HIS FAILURE (OR INABILITY) TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE GYROCOPTER. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: THE PILOT'S LACK OF FLIGHT TRAINING.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 8/9/1994 |
| Event Day of the Week | Tuesday |
| Time of Event | 1345 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Daylight Time |
| Event City | SANDWICH |
| Event State | ILLINOIS |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 60548 |
| Event Date Year | 1994 |
| Event Date Month | 8 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Unknown |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 2900 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 12 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 20 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 20 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 7 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 700 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1380 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Aug 9 1994 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1500 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 6 2000 11:58AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N26063 |
| NTSB Number | CHI94LA274 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | NELSON |
| Aircraft Model | BENSON B-8M |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | BENSON B-8 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | B8M9176 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 500 |
| Aircraft Category | Gyrocraft |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | Yes |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 1 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Unknown |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | RONALD P. WAID |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 1136 NORTH RANDALL |
| Aircraft Owner City | AURORA |
| Aircraft Owner State | IL |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 60506 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 0 |
| Departure Time Zone | |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Descent - uncontrolled |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |