Plane Crash List

Garner RAF 2000 GTX-SE N6281Y

22 July 1997 · Bandon, Oregon, United States · Minor injuries

Summary

On 22 July 1997 at about 15:47 local time, a Garner RAF 2000 GTX-SE registered N6281Y was involved in an accident near Bandon, Oregon, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

The record

Date
at 15:47
Classification
Accident
Location
Bandon, Oregon, United States
Nearest airport
Bandon State (S05)
Coordinates
43.0493, -124.3603
Aircraft
Garner RAF 2000 GTX-SE
Registration
N6281Y
Category
Gyrocraft
Engines
1
Operator
Not recorded
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Unknown → Unknown
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
SEA97LA176

People

1 person had minor injuries.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 0 1 0

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain sufficient rotor RPM. A factor was the pilot's limited flight experience in gyroplanes.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that after takeoff the gyroplane pitched nose down and crashed onto the runway. He reported to the gyroplane kit manufacturer that the event occurred at an altitude of 25 to 30 feet, and that just before the occurrence he noted rotor RPM at 260 and airspeed at 40 knots. The aircraft flight manual gives normal operating range of rotor RPM as 275 to 310 RPM, and states that rotor RPM less than 270 must be avoided while flying. The pilot indicated on his accident report that no mechanical malfunction or failure was involved. The pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land and airplane multi-engine land ratings; he did not hold a rotorcraft-gyroplane rating but did possess a gyroplane solo logbook endorsement dated about 6 months before the accident. The pilot reported his total flight time as 18,000 hours, with 50 hours of gyroplane flight time.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other accidents in this area

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26 Dec 1997 Boeing 737-522
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18 Oct 1997 Beechcraft V-35
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23 Oct 1997 Cessna 185A
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26 Oct 1997 Beckham RV-4
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7 Nov 1997 Aerostar PA-60-700P
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8 Nov 1997 Bell 206B
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All 170,864 records in United States