Cartercopter MODEL 1 N121CC

Summary

On 13 December 2000 at about 23:00 local time, a Cartercopter MODEL 1 registered N121CC was involved in an accident near Olney, Texas, United States. 2 people were 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

13 December 2000 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Olney, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Olney Airport (ONY)

Coordinates

33.3601, -98.7491

Aircraft

Cartercopter MODEL 1

Registration

N121CC

Category

Gyrocraft

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW01LA040

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's delay in lowering the collective during a run-on landing, which resulted in a runway overrun. A factor was the muddy terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was performing a short test flight in an experimental prototype gyroplane. After a low level, low airspeed flight down runway centerline, the pilot executed a run-on landing at 30 MPH about 300 feet from the departure end of the runway. The aircraft slowed to about 20 MPH as it rolled off of the runway surface, and onto a muddy field. Subsequently, the nose landing gear collapsed, allowing a 4-foot x 4-foot long section of nose boom to dig into the mud. The aircraft then pitched down about the nose as the main rotor impacted the ground. After the rotor impact, the aircraft rolled to the right, and the right wing impacted the ground. The aircraft sustained structural damage to the right wing, rudder, and main rotor. Skid marks, found about 150 feet forward of the original touch down point, and correlating to the aircraft's landing gear/tires, were observed on the runway. The designer and manufacturer of the prototype, monitored the entire flight with on-board parameter recording devices. These data suggested that the pilot did not lower the collective enough for the brakes to be effective.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.