Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Mead, Colorado 80542
Sunday, September 8, 2002 9:30 MDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
Witnesses observed "a rotor or a wing" separate from the gyroplane, and the gyroplane then descended and impacted terrain.
According to the deputy's report, a rotor blade was found about 150 feet north of the point of impact, and other debris was strewn to the southwest. The co-builder of the accident gyroplane, who was also a close friend of the pilot, contacted three gyroplane experts: the designer of the SA-1 Dominator and President of Rotor Flight Dynamics; a gyroplane aerodynamist; and the designer of another gyroplane. They examined the wreckage and compiled both a factual and analytical report. The following is based on the factual portion of the report. The separated rotor blade was bowed upward and had fractured about 2 feet from the tip. The fracture was consistent with positive overload. There was orange paint and primer transfer marks on the top and upper leading edge (the tail cone was painted orange). The attached rotor blade was also bent upward. The propeller blades exhibited no strike marks. The rotor head and hub bar were intact. The hub bar, normally bent 2.5 degrees upward, was bent approximately 10 degrees upward. The roll pillow blocks bore evidence of hammering and were mushroomed. The pitch stops were similarly damaged. In the analytical portion of the report, the necessity of maintaining blade loading at all times in order to maintain main rotor blade rotation was noted. The fracture on the separated main rotor blade was in "a purely upward bending moment which could only have occurred if the blade rpm had dramatically slowed...If totally unloaded, the blade rpm can deteriorate as fast as 120 rpm/sec." Normal rotor blade rpm is 320 to 400 rpm. If rotor blade rpm were allowed to drop, increasing the velocity of air moving through the rotor system, severe blade "flapping" would result as evidenced by the pounding and mushrooming of the roll pillow blocks and bending of the hub bar on the rotor head. A toxicological test revealed 2.024 (ug/mL, ug/g) paroxetine in the blood and liver. The drug is an antidepressant and contraindicated for flight. The pilot's personal physician prescribed the drug for the treatment of fibromyalgia, a condition manifested by muscle soreness. Adverse effects of the drug include drowsiness, muscle weakness, agitation, and tremors.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
the pilot's failure to maintain main rotor rpm, resulting in blade flapping, subsequent blade contact with the airframe, and loss of control.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 9/8/2002 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 930 |
| Event Time Zone | Mountain Daylight Time |
| Event City | Mead |
| Event State | COLORADO |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 80542 |
| Event Date Year | 2002 |
| Event Date Month | 9 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 401251N |
| Event Location Longitude | 1045701W |
| 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 | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 953 Mountain Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 135 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | DEN |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 5431 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 25 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | MDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 9000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Few |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 24 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 8 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 140 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 4 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.12 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 7024 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| 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) | 12762 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA Comm Center |
| NTSB Notification Date | Sep 8 2002 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1045 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Apr 1 2003 4:20PM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\MONR |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Denver, Colorado |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N551SA |
| NTSB Number | DEN02LA103 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Adler |
| Aircraft Model | SA-1 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 001 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 900 |
| 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 | Conditional |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jun 18 2002 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 44 |
| Airframe Hours | 44 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Steven H. Adler |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | On File |
| Aircraft Owner City | Broomfield |
| Aircraft Owner State | CO |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 80020 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| 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? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| 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 | No |
| Departure Airport Code | BJC |
| Departure City | Broomfield |
| Departure State | CO |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 900 |
| Departure Time Zone | MDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | BJC |
| Destination City | -- |
| Destination State | -- |
| Destination Country | -- |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Maneuvering |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 10 2002 3:06PM |
| User who most recently changed record | MCBM |
| Since inspection or accident | Time of Accident |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | -- |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |