Marchetti AVENGER GRYO PLANE N2223A

Summary

On 24 July 1998 at about 18:45 local time, a Marchetti AVENGER GRYO PLANE registered N2223A was involved in an accident near Mentone, Indiana, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 July 1998 at 18:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Mentone, Indiana, United States

Nearest airport

Mentone (C92)

Coordinates

41.1697, -86.0300

Aircraft

Marchetti AVENGER GRYO PLANE

Registration

N2223A

Category

Gyrocraft

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI98LA277

2 people were seriously injured.

the pilot's lack of familiarity with the gyroplane's performance, and his improper in-flight decision to reduce engine power to idle which aggravated the gyroplane's nose down pitch and exceeded the gyroplane's back stick authority.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot performed a normal takeoff and climbed to 500 feet agl, on a 360 degree heading. When he leveled off, the gyroplane's control response 'became suddenly heavy, coinciding with an increase in rotor speed.' The pilot immediately reduced power to idle (600) rpm and attempted a precautionary landing. The aircraft pitched down and dove toward the ground. The pilot and the passenger were both pulled back on the control sticks. The gyroplane impacted into a soybean field. The day before the accident, the pilot had wide-chord (8 and 1/2 inch) rotor blades installed on the gyroplane. On a flight prior to the accident flight, the pilot noticed during rollout from a level, right, 180 degree turn, that the control stick felt very heavy. The previous owner said that the Vne of the gyroplane was 60 mph. At that airspeed, the gyroplane has a nosedown pitch of 5 to 6 degrees. The gyroplane had a 10-inch chord airboat propeller installed on it. The owner said that if the engine power is reduced below 1,200 rpm, the drag, induced by the propeller, increases on the aircraft and the nose will pitch down. The engine idles at approximately 600 to 650 rpm. 'If the aircraft was fast and the pilot reduced the power to idle, he would run out of aft stick.' Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.