Air Command COMMANDER ELITE UNREG
1 January 2003 · Lansing, Illinois, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 1 January 2003 at about 20:30 local time, a Air Command COMMANDER ELITE registered UNREG was involved in an accident near Lansing, Illinois, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 20:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Lansing, Illinois, United States
- Nearest airport
- Lansing Municipal Airport (IGQ)
- Coordinates
- 41.5397, -87.5319
- Aircraft
- Air Command COMMANDER ELITE
- Registration
- UNREG
- Category
- Gyrocraft
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Lansing → Lansing
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CHI03LA048
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The inadvertent pilot induced oscillation. Factor to the accident was the wind gusts.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The un-registered gyrocopter was destroyed when it impacted terrain. The un-certified pilot received fatal injuries as a result of the crash. A witness to the accident stated that the gyrocopter made a westerly turn at an altitude of about 50 feet above ground level and passed in front of him at an altitude of 100 feet above ground level. The witness said within seconds he observed the gyrocopter in an abrupt climb followed by a quick descent, followed by an even faster climb. The witness said the gyrocopter then tumbled to the ground. The witness described the incident as a classic phugoid oscillation or "pilot induced oscillation." The Rotorcraft Flying Handbook refers to this as "an unintentional up-and-down oscillation of the gyroplane accompanied with alternating climbs and descents of the aircraft." The weather was reported as: Wind 020 degrees at 16 knots and gusts at 21 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; sky condition overcast at 2,100.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Air Command COMMANDER accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Sep 1992 | Air Command COMMANDER | Mars Hill, North Carolina, United States | Rhodes, Colin S. | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Aug 2003 | Extra Flugzeugbau EA200 | Sugar Grove, Illinois, United States | Cynthia R. Lyons | No injuries | - |
| 19 Mar 2003 | Piper PA-34-200T | West Chicago, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Apr 2003 | Stinson 108-1 | Romeoville, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jun 2003 | Cessna 172M | Gridley, Illinois, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 5 May 2003 | Air Tractor AT-503A | Pontiac, Illinois, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 14 Jul 2003 | Cessna 172P | Pinckneyville, Illinois, United States | Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois | No injuries | - |