Ekstrom-Farrington TWINSTAR N72DE

Summary

On 25 August 1998 at about 21:00 local time, a Ekstrom-Farrington TWINSTAR registered N72DE was involved in an accident near Paducah, Kentucky, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 August 1998 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Paducah, Kentucky, United States

Nearest airport

Farrington Airpark (FIO)

Coordinates

37.0702, -88.6306

Aircraft

Ekstrom-Farrington TWINSTAR

Registration

N72DE

Category

Gyrocraft

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC98LA172

Nobody was injured.

Failure of a through-bolt that attached the lateral control arms to the yoke assembly, due to unanticipated rotor brake forces through the flight control system.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The gyroplane was on short final, about 15 feet above the ground, when it went into an uncommanded right turn and right roll. The heading changed 180 degrees, and the gyroplane impacted sod near the runway threshold. The gyroplane had a rotor brake mechanism which was activated by pushing the cyclic control full forward. A through-bolt which had attached the two lateral control arms to the yoke assembly, was discovered missing, and the right lateral control arm had separated from the yoke assembly. The kit manufacturer was considering implementing a clamp-type rotor brake system, much like a bicycle's, to prevent rotor brake forces from passing through the flight control system.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.